Solid blood of the spirits
by Lola Me
Summary: During SG1’s first mission after Jack’s torture by Baal, he is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to him. An interesting discovery and unexpected arrival places the team and Earth itself in danger. SJ of course! COMPLETE
1. I spy with my little eye

_**Solid blood of the spirits**_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of it - I'm not nearly that creative. Please don't sue, I'm a poor student!_

_**Summary: **During SG1's first mission after Jack's torture by Baal, he is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to him. An interesting discovery and unexpected arrival while off-world places the team and Earth itself in danger. SamJacklater ofcourse! Please R&R!_

_**Timeframe:** Just after "Abyss" from Season 6. It's disappointing that I can't have Daniel as part of SG1, but you never know... he was only ascended so he may make a cameo._

_**Rating: **I'm going to say "T" to be on the safe side, but apart from a bit of language and possible mushy Sam/Jack stuff later (which won't go too far for fear of the cheese factor) I doubt it'll live up to that._

_**Genre:** In alphabetical order – action/adventure/angst/romance/partridge-in-a-pear-tree_

_**Chapter 1 - I spy, with my little eye…**_

****

* * *

Jack O'Neill was perched rather uncomfortably on a rock. He contemplated the same expanse of wall ahead of him wondering whether the mission they were on would ever finish. The swooping lights of Teal'c's and Jonas' P-90s lit up small tracts of the cave walls, but for all intents and purposes their surroundings were void of any light. And yet, the stargate was only metres behind them. The lack of any light source didn't bother him as much as he felt the mission was a complete waste of time. 

The whole team had just come off some enforced downtime and it felt like they'd been given the most unchallenging-looking mission available. He felt a twinge of unease as he remembered why they'd been on downtime. Apparently the shrinks thought being repeatedly tortured and killed was reason enough for him to go loopy unless he was forced to sit and do nothing for a while. Truth be told, the _last_ thing he had wanted to do after being trapped in Baal's clutches was be separated from everything that was familiar to him. The SGC _was _his downtime – leaving it only made him feel as if he was trapped from everything he knew again.

"I've got it sir!" He was snapped back to attention by the sound of Sam Carter's voice, who was sitting on what looked to be an equally uncomfortable rock a couple of metres away from him.

"Huh?" he looked at her, confused.

"Something beginning with 'n'," she looked at him exasperatedly. "It's 'nothing' isn't it?"

He'd forgotten they were playing 'I Spy'. "Ah right, yes." Honestly he couldn't remember what it had been, however considering they were essentially looking into a black void most of the time, it was entirely possible that 'nothing' was the answer. "That took a while, I'd forgotten we were playing." His voice was distant.

He looked away off into the black expanse around him again, leaving Sam to her own thoughts. For her to be sitting, bored, and playing I Spy was really telling. Apparently Jonas had found some cave markings but they didn't appear to be related to any alien race – good or bad – they had encountered so far and so Carter was just as much the token military presence as he usually was. He felt like they'd been there for hours. Surely Daniel had been faster than this… he cringed inwardly at the mention of his name. Even if he was 'ascended' or whatever, that didn't help SG1 – Jonas was good, but no-one could replace Daniel Jackson.

"Um Sir?" Sam's voice was laced with concern. "It only took me about 30 seconds…" She looked intently at his unmoving profile, wondering what was happening in his head. He didn't seem to have registered that she'd spoken at all. "Sir!" she imbued her voice with force to attract his attention.

"Wha? Is it time to go?" Jack was still lost in his thoughts.

Sam stood up from where she was and moved the two steps over to where Jack was sitting. Crouching down in front of him, she looked him square in the eye.

"Are you sure you shouldn't have taken some more leave?" She enquired tentatively, not wanting to annoy the increasingly volatile Colonel.

Jack shook himself out of his detached state reluctantly and searched his mind for an appropriate answer to give Carter. "I'm fine Carter, just bored." He grumbled irritably. Seeing the mildly hurt look on her face, he softened his stance slightly, running his fingers through his hair. "Anyway, it's not as if they gave us a rigorous mission" he motioned to the emptiness surrounding them. "Not even a tree-planet… and I was going stir crazy at home, wouldn't you?"

Sam nodded almost imperceptibly. Although she had no idea how she would manage in his place, she was sure that being barred from her lab would have an adverse effect on her ability to deal with it. Standing up and stepping away from him she looked aimlessly around the caves again, letting out a long sigh. "So, another round of 'I spy'?" She decided it was better to keep his mind focussed on something, even if it was a child's game.

Before Jack could answer, the relative silence of the cave was broken suddenly by the sound of Jonas' excited voice.

"Colonel! Over here!" he wasn't shouting, for fear of causing a break in, but his voice echoed loudly all the same.

Jack hoisted himself up off the rock and winced at the stiffness that had taken over his tired legs. "God I'm getting old," he grumbled to no-one in particular. "We've walked, what, four metres since being here and already I feel like I'm getting arthritis in my knees."

Sam giggled slightly as she saw him struggle to his feet. "I'll get you a walking frame for your birthday, sir." She was looking ahead of her as they walked towards Jonas and Teal'c's position so he couldn't see her expression, which was classically deadpan.

Jack stopped briefly before shaking his head and continuing after her. She had been increasingly playful during this mission – probably the boredom – but it was still strange. It wasn't often that he was the one left without a response to someone's sarcastic quip.

* * *

As they neared Jonas and Teal'c, Jack could see that they had indeed found something. Everywhere in the many rooms of the underground caves they were in had some sort of markings on them, but these ones were immediately distinguishable from the others – they were in goa'uld. 

As Sam approached she too saw the significance of the markings Jonas was looking at and crowded behind him to see what they said. The inscriptions were interspersed with rudimentary drawings and depictions of what appeared to be landmarks, but appeared to have no correlation with the text.

"What have we got?" Jack tried to sound business-like but only succeeded in sounding slightly annoyed. "Is there something interesting about this place after all?"

Jonas quickly finished reading the text in front of him and looked meaningfully at Teal'c, who raised his eyebrow, presumably expressing his intrigue at the words written before them.

"Actually, Colonel," Jonas was speaking slowly, trying to contain the rising excitement in his voice. "We do."

"Oh my God," Sam had just cast her eye on the wall and looked to the newest SG1 member. "Does this say what I think it does?"

"Hey!" Jack sounded hurt. "Someone wanna help me out here? All I see are weird squiggles and pictures of what looks like a massive rock," he paused momentarily, "Ironically enough, drawn _on _a rock." He added with humour, pleased to see a smile tug at Sam's lips.

"Ok," Jonas began, trying to put it in the most succinct form, "Apparently this is what's called _Turramulli_'s cave, in the _Dreamland _– a world populated by some beings called _Quinkins_. It was here that a race of these beings called the _Timara _hid what's referred to as 'solid blood of the spirits' after defeating this Turramulli and his guards, referred to as the _Imjim_." Jonas was indicating separate pictures and symbols as he spoke of the characters. "Apparently, though," he continued, "they moved this 'solid blood' many years ago when it transpired that Turramulli wasn't in fact dead and that he was returning to claim this precious commodity."

Jack looked at Jonas, completely bewildered. "Turramulli? Quinkins? _Solid blood_! What on earth does all that mean?"

"Sir, it's likely that Turramulli was a Goa'uld and the 'solid blood' is naquada." Sam looked at Teal'c as she said this to make sure she was understanding it correctly.

"And the supposed good guys… the Ti-whatevers? Or the bad guys for that matter?" Jack looked to all three of them, feeling completely lost.

"I believe that the word timara may be referring to the Asgard, O'Neill." Teal'c deep voice seemed to reverberate throughout the cave for minutes every time he spoke. "There is a visual depiction of this being here." He motioned to the wall, where indeed there was a rudimentary drawing of what appeared to be a skinny biped with an abnormally large head. "In the case of these … imjim … I believe their shorter stature and the indication of the presence of staff weapons in their possession may mean they are jaffa." He motioned to the pictograph depicting Turramulli's guards.

"Ok," Jack was following so far. "But if these timmy-things moved the Naquada, then _how_ exactly is this useful to us?"

At this point Jonas started hopping from one foot to the other with excitement. "This." He motioned to the picture of the rock. "I can't translate the word written underneath it, but phonetically, it says 'Uluru'."

Jack waited for Jonas to continue. "And?"

"Uh, well… I don't know." Jonas cast his gaze down to the floor, reaching the end of his excited presentation. But if we can find this place then we should be able to get a large cache of naquada – assuming it's still there."

"_Uluru_. That sounds somehow familiar to me…" Sam's face adopted an intense look of concentration as she searched the impressive database in her mind.

Jack knew the moment she had found the solution as her face lit up and a broad grin spread across it. Her eyes focussed on him. She looked positively _energised _with the information she held. As much as he loved seeing such a wonderful expression on her face, and indeed revelled in it, the suspense was killing him.

"C'mon Carter, spit it out!" he couldn't hide his amusement, the warmth in his voice showing her as much.

"Uluru is in Australia, sir, although it used to be known as Ayers Rock." Carter was still grinning from ear to ear with the possibilities that were presenting themselves. "If these Quinkins have hidden naquada where we think, there should be large quantity in central Australia just waiting for us to come and get it."

"But didn't we scan the whole planet looking for naquada years ago?" Jack vaguely remembered the name Ayers Rock and remembered it as being an amazing natural phenomenon – but nothing any more special than that.

"Well yes, but if it's somehow hidden underneath or within Uluru then it's entirely likely that we missed it." Sam looked to the wall markings again. "It says here the Timara _created _Uluru from a 'sky mountain'. Who knows what kind of technology was involved."

"It's a _rock_, a _boulder_ even!" Jack blathered. "I've seen photos. It's this big, red _rock_. It's not like it's a pyramid or anything…"

"Yes but think about it Colonel," Jonas had read about Australia and was now looking almost as excited as Sam was. "If it's in the middle of Australia with pretty much nothing but desert surrounding it. It seems a bit unlikely it would be natural, now that we know what we do, doesn't it?"

Before Jack could think of a suitable response there was a far-off rumbling sound which came closer until part of the wall behind them just seemed to dissolve into nothing, revealing a long tunnel with a light at its end.

* * *

The team immediately fell silent, shut off their lights and positioned themselves, two at each side, at the tunnel opening. The all-too familiar, spine-chilling _chink-chink_ noise of moving Jaffa echoed through the tunnel, becoming louder all the time. Just as they were about to reach the cave, SG1 heard the unmistakable sound of the stargate activating. They were trapped between almost definitely hostile aliens walking towards them and whatever would come through the gate. Jack motioned silently to the others – who could thankfully see him due to the dim light permeating through the tunnel – to fall back and he receded into a smaller cave behind him with Sam following. He saw Jonas and Teal'c slink into a similar looking alcove on the other side of the tunnel. 

There was very little space in the alcove off the main cave, but at least they should remain hidden if the jaffa didn't see any reason to investigate their surrounds. In all likelihood, they were there to meet whoever was meant to come through the stargate. Jack looked passed the top of Sam's head, trying to ignore the fact that a couple of strands were persistently tickling his chin, and watched the jaffa pass them just as the great 'whoosh' sound of the stargate indicated that they would very soon know who was coming through. He subconsciously let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as soon as the jaffa had passed them, and then let a small giggle escape.

"Sir!" Sam whispered urgently. She tilted her head around to look at him in horror. Now was definitely _not _the time to be making any noise, let alone laugh.

Jack abruptly clamped his mouth shut and they both strained their ears to hear if they had been detected by the jaffa. The _chink-chink_ noise continued, however, and was joined by the sound of what appeared to be more jaffa coming through the gate.

"Sorry," Jack breathed into Sam's ear, which, now that she had turned her head, was mere centimetres away from his mouth. "But really, I was thinking, why is there _always _some kind of alcove for us to hide in when there are jaffa approaching? You'd think they'd learn to check them out, or something…"

Jack smiled as he felt Sam shake with silent laughter. She looked up to him briefly and he saw the amused sparkle in her eyes. Their private joke was interrupted, however, by the sound of an oddly familiar goa'uld voice talking with the jaffa.

"Have you discovered the location of _Uluru_?" the false-god demanded, sounding as menacing as ever. Sam's eyes widened as she heard the name. They knew. And they were searching. She glanced up to Jack, only to see his face was completely ashen. She looked at him quizzically but his eyes were unfocussed, staring at the passage ahead of them.

"Alas my lord we have not," one of the jaffa responded, "there appears to be no rock formations corresponding to the depiction for many days journey from here."

Jack flinched as he heard the noise of a staff weapon being fired, followed closely by the thud of a dead weight falling to the ground. The instant he'd heard the voice he knew who it was. The instant he'd heard the arrogant tone of voice he knew what it meant. This was bad. Baal had just arrived, and he was looking for something that was probably on Earth.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Welcome to one and all! If you've read my other completed fic, "Great minds think alike", you'll know that I live for the warm fuzzy feeling when I get a review from someone who has read what I've written! So please tell me what you think, good or bad, as long as it's constructive! I'm fairly nervous, considering I'm following on from a fairly well-received fic. I hope this can live up to expectations (or at least hold your interest)._

_In a side note, I am feeding off an Australian aboriginal dreamtime story about a kind of monster called Turramulli – a kind of Aussie Bigfoot. Most of my info is from a book: _Turramulli the Giant Quinkin, by Percy Trezise_ which is a kid's book – but a damned fine one! I'm adapting all the info for my own purposes – the most glaring discrepancy being that Turramulli is supposedly from far-north Queensland, which is a HELL of a long way from Uluru… my apologies to indigenous Australians for so altering one of their myths!_


	2. Point of origin

_A/N: Thanks to one and all for kind reviews. Just for the record _Questionablelight_, I'm saving the kangaroo comments for later – they've just got Jack written all over them!_

_Sorry for the delay in this update, apart from my usual busy life I've had a très exciting week – my brother I went to _Antiques Roadshow _during the week (we were the youngest people there so we attracted some camera attention and he's going to be on some ads for the Lifestyle channel later this year – mucho excitingo)… and then there was the SG1 season 5 marathon on today and yesterday on the cable channel TV1 which required my attention as I hadn't seen many eps from that season before… by the way, any Australians reading this should buy the season 8 DVD box set at JB hifi cos there's a competition to go to Vancouver and visit the SG1 and Atlantis sets!_

_Enough randomness… here's chapter two!_

**Chapter 2 - Point of origin**

* * *

Sam shot her arm out to steady Jack, who was now teetering dangerously against the cave wall behind them. His gaze seemed to be far-off, not looking at anything in particular, and for once there was a clear sense of fear being portrayed through his eyes. She didn't have time to think about who the goa'uld was, but suspected that it didn't matter. In Jack's mind, following his encounter with Baal and the sarcophagus, any goa'uld would be likely to provoke a similar reaction. She twisted around so she was facing him and reached her free hand up to cup the back of his neck and direct his head downwards so his eyes, still unseeing, would be looking directly into hers. She didn't say anything, but kept her hand where it was on his neck, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth on the skin behind his ear. Soon she saw his eyes move slightly, indicating that he was at least back in the present world. The haunted expression remained on his face, although he was now returning her stare, his eyes fixed on hers. Relieved Jack was at least back from wherever the trauma had taken him, Sam lowered her hand to rest it comfortably on his forearm, squeezing it slightly to reassure him. Now that her focus wasn't required to be entirely on the man in front of her, she realised the goa'uld and jaffa were on the move. 

Teal'c watched the scene playing before him through the narrow line of sight he had of the stargate. He had tensed up the instant Baal had arrived, and, following his execution of the jaffa, was now deeply concerned. He knew that even such a formidable warrior such as O'Neill would be in no state to face his tormentor yet. Even more importantly, he knew that from what they had learned about Baal in recent times, the position they now found themselves was intensely dangerous. If O'Neill had once been captured by this false-god, then it was entirely likely that they would be too.

The system lord began marching purposefully away from the gate and Teal'c receded into the tight space behind him, unfortunately squashing Jonas somewhat, so as not to be detected. None of the bodies moving passed them hesitated while walking past SG1, but instead strode purposefully into the tunnel, which proceeded to close behind them. As abruptly as light had been shed on the cave, their surroundings returned to darkness.

* * *

Sam didn't know what to do or say. Upon seeing the Goa'uld she knew who it was, and why Jack had had such an averse reaction to his voice. Her heart leapt into her throat as she realised how he must be feeling; the fact that he had been so stunned, and not able to maintain his usual façade of strength was noticeably unsettling. When darkness once again descended upon them, and she heard Teal'c and Jonas move, clicking their P-90 flashlights on, she quickly moved to whisper to Jack. 

"Sir?" she wasn't sure how he was going to react. "Sir, it's ok – he's gone."

Jack had been struggling to quell the blind fear that had overtaken him at hearing Baal's voice. Sam had brought him back, his eyes had suddenly registered her presence as her hand lay on the back of his neck, and he had seen her eyes looking into his, deep with concern. Shocked at his loss of control, he forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. Try as he might, he couldn't make the fear go away. He couldn't let them see, but they had to get out of there – and fast. They had to escape before Baal found them. Before he killed them; again, and again, and again. Feeling himself slip into a spiral of dread and fear again he jolted himself and physically flinched on the spot.

It was at this moment that he heard Sam speak. The timidity of her voice made him realise just how hopeless he must look. Pushing all the pain far away into the corner of his mind, he pushed passed Sam, callously squashing her against the wall of the cave.

"I know Carter," he snapped, feeling annoyed at his display of weakness, knowing he couldn't afford to collapse. "I felt the pompousness dissipate as he went through the tunnel."

He refused to look at Sam, who was looking shocked and mildly hurt at his reaction, even though it hadn't been entirely unexpected. Inwardly feeling regret for his reaction, he had different priorities for the moment: namely getting home.

"Teal'c, Jonas," he barked at the two aliens who were once again studying the writings on the cave wall. "We're going. Carter!" he began moving towards the gate with powerful strides. "Dial us home, let's get the fuck outta here."

After a couple of seconds, Jack realised that no one was following. He growled under his breath, came to a stop, and whirled around on the spot to look at them, fire in his eyes.

"Well!" he demanded, looking at them accusingly. "What's the hold-up? Let's GO! Major that's an ORDER!"

Sam was too stunned to speak or move. She wouldn't ever wish to contravene an order from a superior officer, but it was clear to her that he was not thinking clearly. She looked to Teal'c, appealing for his support.

"I do not believe we can leave immediately, O'Neill." Teal'c's even voice contrasted sharply with the sight of Jack, whose veins were almost popping out of his skin as he stood there looking at them with rage.

"Why the HELL not?" Jack was in complete despair now. He tried to keep control of the situation but the uncontrollable aspect of his rage meant he was edging perilously close to breaking down. "There's GOA'ULD on this planet with what could be an ARMY of Jaffa! We need to LEAVE, NOW!"

Sam looked to Jonas and spoke quietly out of the corner of her mouth. "Check the writings for any reference that could indicate Uluru's location to Baal. I'll talk to him."

With that she moved cautiously towards Jack.

"Carter I have _ordered _you to dial us home!" he hissed at her through clenched teeth as she walked towards him

"Sir, I know, and I agree we have to get out of here," she began slowly, imploring him to hear her out. She saw his jaw clench as he fought with himself, deciding whether to listen or explode – as he was clearly wanting to do. She moved closer to him, now standing only a metre away. "But we _have_ to make sure that there's nothing to suggest the actual location of Uluru." She said softly. "If Baal figures out that it's on Earth, we'll have a _much _bigger problem than our own personal safety."

Jack felt his muscles twitching, his unconscious desire to flee fighting with his conscious mind, which was telling him that Sam was right. He felt helpless, impotent in the face of the situation. He let his shoulders droop and nodded lamely, looking at the ground in front of him. "You're right." He admitted quietly. "Of course you're right." He raised his head to look at her. "Just do it quick, k? We leave in ten."

He raised his voice and looked over Sam's shoulder to where, although Jonas and Teal'c were looking at the cave wall again, their attention was obviously still on him. "Ok guys, we'll make sure he can't trace the naquada stock back to Earth, and then we're out of here."

He looked at Sam, who was still in front of him, cringing inwardly at the still concerned look on her face. He did _not _want to deal with this now… nor ever really. "Carter, go help them – I'll be standing by at the gate to dial us out of here quick if necessary." He saw her hesitate at his words but didn't need to repeat them as she quickly accepted them and turned to move towards the rest of the team.

Jonas was again studying the wall in front of him when Sam approached them. He glanced up at her quickly to see her give him a reassuring smile. "Is he ok?" he asked quietly, wary of the Colonel's freakish hearing abilities.

"Yeah, he's just shook up…" Sam began, "…not that he'd ever want to admit it."

"Should you not be at his side, Major Carter?" Teal'c enquired evenly, his tone indicating there was nothing at all wrong with Jack's reaction.

Sam looked at Teal'c, admiration on her face. "He doesn't want me there, he's ashamed of his outburst." She glanced back in his direction, shaking her head slightly as she saw how tense his posture was, standing rigidly in front of the DHD. "Maybe you could…" before she could finish the sentence, she realised Teal'c was already making his way back towards the stargate.

* * *

Jack didn't look up as Teal'c approached him. He could tell the difference between the different gaits his team members adopted as they walked. He kept his focus on his shoes, or where he imagined his shoes were. Not only was it extremely dark, but he found his eyes weren't quite registering his surroundings properly – he couldn't seem to focus them. Every time he did, he imagined seeing Baal emerging through the tunnel, or the gate. It was easier to live with the blurriness. 

"We will return through the stargate in good time before Baal returns." Teal'c's voice filtered through the swirling torment of Jack's mind.

"Here's hoping." Jack's voice was quiet, coarse even. He transmitted no emotion through the cool timbre, but then he didn't need to – his posture spoke volumes.

"Indeed." Teal'c didn't try to say anything more; he didn't even look at Jack. Instead, he just stood silently, stoically, next to the team leader; staring composedly straight ahead.

Jack felt himself calm down slowly. He concentrated on the even breathing coming from the jaffa standing next to him, and felt things becoming clearer. Consciously taking long, deep, breaths, he lifted his head slowly and turned to look down towards Sam and Jonas. He was just about to call out to see how they were going when Sam's voice rang out through the cave.

"Sir, you'd better see this." She was businesslike, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened beforehand. He said a silent thank you to some higher being for her discretion before moving away from the DHD and towards them, Teal'c following.

* * *

Jack looked between where Jonas and Sam were crouched down looking at the cave wall, right near its intersection with the ground. Jonas had scraped away some of the loose rocks on the ground to better see the symbols that had been engraved on the rock, so low down they were probably meant to be overlooked. The alien looked up to Jack apprehensively, not knowing how safe it was to speak his mind. 

"Out with it Jonas," Jack said good-naturedly, once again able to forget the fear and uncertainty that had briefly overcome him. "Is the writing on the wall?" Jack paused to gauge Sam's reaction to his lame attempt at a joke. Seeing her eyes roll, he winced ironically. "Yeah… I know… not a good one." He smiled at her apologetically, his heart warming at the grin she shot back at him.

"Ahem," Jonas cleared his throat quietly. "Colonel? We have a problem."

"Let me guess," Jack was still looking at Sam, "There's a nice set of instructions about how to find Uluru down there?"

"Not exactly, sir." Sam was the first to deflect her gaze from their mutual stare. "But it's clear enough… we're just lucky it was obscured before now or they would have already figured it out."

Jack looked down to where the markings were present and saw a kind of dismembered point of origin symbol – Earth's point of origin. Sighing quietly he glanced unconsciously back at the wall behind them; the wall that could, at any moment, disintegrate and announce Baal's return.

"What can we do about it?" The anxiety was rising within him again. Every breath anyone took, every slight movement they made, any change in the surrounds made him flinch, fearing the return of Baal.

"Well, not a lot. Try and cover it up I guess." Jonas shrugged, while looking back to the cave wall. "Hope they don't find it."

"I do not believe that is possible." Teal'c voice was grave. "Any good jaffa would discern the change in texture at this location were we to artificially cover the wall."

"Yeah he's probably right," Jonas added, scrunching his pain up in apology for insisting on uncovering the engravings in the first place.

"So we blow a hole in the wall." Seeing the look of shock and indignation on Sam and Jonas' faces, Jack raised his hand in defence, his eyebrows approaching his hairline. "Hey, just a _little_ one… I'm not talking about blowing up the _entire _cave or anything..."

At that moment the wall behind Jack began to dissolve behind him, heralding the arrival of some extremely hostile forces and possibly a certain system lord himself.

"Forget it Jonas… we're outta here." He was already jogging towards the DHD, Sam close behind him. "We'll be no use if captured. He's going to find it anyway now."

For once, Jonas didn't need to be told twice, and he and Teal'c were right behind Jack and Sam as they stood in front of the gate. Just as the wormhole opened the _chink-chink _sound that had been growing slowly louder stopped suddenly.

"Kree!" came the clichéd cry of one of the jaffas now in the cave.

Jack turned slowly to look the jaffa in the eye. "You know what? I don't think we're going to 'kree' this time." His eyes took on an almost diabolical glint and he grinned at them manically, "Byyyyyyyyeeeeeeee!"

With that he stepped through the gate quickly, before anyone else could appear through the tunnel.

* * *

The sirens indicating an off-world activation were resounding throughout the SGC headquarters as SG1 tramped down the ramp. The wormhole disengaged behind them and – thankfully – so did the infuriating wailing sound. General Hammond came bustling through the door, his expression slightly concerned. 

"Colonel?" his tone of voice relayed his confusion. "You weren't due back for another four hours… something wrong?"

"Oooh, I dunno General," Jack stood that little bit straighter and squared his shoulders in an effort to keep himself composed. "We came, we saw, we nearly got freakin' ambushed by that gothic _freak_, Baal, and then we basically ensured that he'd follow us home." He looked around distractedly, as if the statement he'd just given was completely benign. "So yeah… you might say that."

Without waiting to be dismissed, Jack marched purposefully out of the room, leaving General Hammond gaping in his wake.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So there we are… let me know what you think… I'm trying to keep Jack's reactions as true as possible but it's kinda difficult. _

_I had written more for this bit but it's really late and I wanted to post so I just thought I'd cut it off here. Hope it's not too slow, but all this stuff has to happen._


	3. Taking the fall

_A/N: Ok, this is a slightly shorter chapter than usual, but it should really be a part of the previous one so they're kinda like part a and part b of the one chapter… _

_Thanks to _Bookworm_ for the encouragement. I hope I can keep it up – it's a lot harder writing for this kind of situation than I thought it was going to be._

_Hope you enjoy. Please review!_

**Chapter III – Taking the fall**

* * *

Sam looked from the doorway where Jack had disappeared back to General Hammond, unsure of what she should say. It was clear to everyone present that he was upset – even his sarcasm couldn't cover the irrational anguish and pain he was feeling following their close encounter. She looked at General Hammond apprehensively. The worst thing for Jack would be if he were ordered to stand down for this operation. The problem was, if questioned, Sam didn't think she could exactly lie to the General.

"Major?" Hammond turned to the ever-reliable Sam, his face still registering shock at Jack's reaction

"Well sir, we've got good and bad news." Sam began, her eyes still on the doorway Jack had disappeared through. "But maybe it should wait until the debriefing with Colonel O'Neill?"

Hammond glanced through the doorway and looked at Sam again. Sensing something was amiss, he quickly nodded his head in acquiescence.

"Debriefing in 2 hours. Report to the infirmary before then, all of you." He looked meaningfully to Teal'c, who understood that Jack was expected to see Dr Fraiser as well. "Dismissed!"

Sam didn't move immediately, but instead watched Teal'c and Jonas traipse out of the room. Pulling herself together, she made to leave as well but was stopped by a hand that placed itself lightly on her arm.

"May I have a word first, Major?" General Hammond's face was serious.

Sam nodded mechanically. "Of course sir."

After relinquishing her weapon to one of the officers standing in the gate room, she followed the General out of the gate room and up the stairs towards his office, a certain trepidation taking over her. She knew what he was going to ask, but she didn't know what she was going to answer.

As he closed the door and motioned for her to sit, she thought she perceived a sorrowful expression on his face, but couldn't be sure. She knew the man now sitting in front of her on the other side of the desk would do anything for SG1. She knew that he only had their best interests at heart. At the same time, she knew – and she was petrified of the fact – that she wasn't going to tell the whole truth.

"Major," General Hammond began softly, his eyes looking earnestly into hers. "I know how much esteem you hold for Colonel O'Neill, but I need to know: is he truly ready for active duty?"

Sam looked down at her hands, unable to look the head of base in the eye. Fighting the battle inside her, telling her to report Jack's conduct, she steeled herself against the piercing regard of General Hammond and looked up again.

"Sir, I don't believe Colonel O'Neill acted improperly on that planet." She began, choosing her words carefully. "It was a shock for all of us when Baal walked through the stargate…" grasping her hands together desperately she searched wildly around the room for inspiration.

"Sam," the use of her first name caused her to look up abruptly. General Hammond's gaze had softened and he was now leaning forward slightly. "I don't think Jack would _ever_ knowingly do something to endanger yourself or the other members of your team, but if his reaction upon your return is anything to go by, it doesn't seem that he is thinking entirely clearly at the moment."

Despite the softness in his voice, Sam felt herself stiffen slightly at the implication of what he was saying. Her intense respect for her CO imbued her with a renewed force as her eyes narrowed, looking straight into his.

"With all due respect, _sir_," she was verging on insubordination and she knew it, "Colonel O'Neill's instinct was to return home as soon as we saw Baal, which, in retrospect, we should have done." She added the last part quietly. "I persuaded him to stay a bit longer and as a result, the entire planet is in danger." Straightening her posture with renewed force, she made an important decision that she knew would have repercussions. "If anything, I am guilty of refusing to follow a direct order. The Colonel's actions upon his return are due to his anger, that's all."

General Hammond sat back in his chair, quietly considering the now indignant Major who was sitting before him. She was deflecting attention from his actions, and he knew it. He also knew that Jack would vehemently deny what she had just said, and take all the blame for whatever happened on that planet himself. Above all, he knew that Jack could never be that angry with Carter that he'd storm off out of the gateroom. Leaning his elbow on the desk in front of him and rubbing his forehead in consternation, he looked at Sam again, who now seemed quietly petrified at what she had just said.

"Alright Major," he decided not to press the point, but instead delve into the situation deeper at their upcoming meeting. "Report to the infirmary. I'll see you at the debriefing."

As he watched her almost sprint out of the office, he leant back in the comfortable chair. Her behaviour was worrying. Lying to protect a colleague is not something Major Carter would have done when she joined the SGC. Although in many ways she had become a better officer since those first few missions, he couldn't help but sense the danger in her willingness to support Jack – whatever the cost.

* * *

Jack sat impatiently at the briefing room table, drumming his fingers against the smooth surface in front of him. It was possibly the first time ever that he had been on time to a meeting, let alone early, but he was eager to leave – to get away from the impending danger that was threatening to tear him apart. He knew his actions were probably going to get him stood down, and for once he welcomed that fact. He'd had enough. Someone else could go after the Baal for all he cared – he wasn't going anywhere near the guy ever again. 

One by one the other members of SG1 emerged from the corridor to be seated around the table. Jonas looked decidedly nervous and refused to look at Jack, as if he might bite. Shaking his head slightly, Jack thought again how much he wished it was Daniel joining them around the table instead. Thinking of Daniel's words he looked up to the ceiling as if in a moment of silent prayer. _You said I'd be ok, Danny boy. _He thought purposefully, hoping the ascended being could hear him. _Look at me now – falling to bits._ He let a small, resigned laugh escape from his lips just as Teal'c was entering the room.

"Is there something you find amusing, O'Neill?" Teal'c sat next to his trusted friend, his deep gaze not revealing any emotion.

Jack didn't answer, but merely shrugged, receding into the chair he was sitting in. The familiar sweet smell of her perfume alerted him to the fact that Sam had entered the room. He flitted his eyes up briefly to see her sitting across from him, looking quietly petrified. He didn't know what that was all about, but looked away quickly, not even really acknowledging her presence. As General Hammond walked into the room, he didn't even get up like the others did. He just sat there, sulking.

* * *

General Hammond sat listening to Sam and Jonas' account of the events in Turramulli's cave with a mix of hope and foreboding. If there was indeed a naquada store on Earth it would be a momentous discovery. At the same time, it was imperative they find it – before Baal. When they reached the part about Baal's appearance and their discovery of the reference to Earth on the cave walls, Hammond noticed that Sam had stopped speaking – only Jonas was continuing the narration. She was instead looking across the table to where Jack was sitting, still slumped in his chair, eyes fixed absently on the surface. 

Jonas noticed how everyone was now looking at Jack and let his last sentence fade away into the tense silence that now engulfed the room. The five people sitting around the table didn't move or make a sound for some time, until finally Jack looked up slowly, his neck muscles clenched in distress.

"Sir, I take full responsibility." He laid his hands flat out on the table in front of him, indicating his surrender in face of the situation. "I allowed us to stay on the planet, not only nearly getting us captured by the _prince of darkness_…" he paused to look at Sam, whose eyes were fixed on his, and seemed to be holding her breath. "…but also ensuring that he will now discover the actual location of this supposed store of naquada."

"Colonel, that's not what Major Carter reported to me earlier." General Hammond's words caused Jack's heart to leap into his throat. He'd questioned Sam. She'd told him everything. Jack looked to Sam angrily, the sense of betrayal pouring out of his eyes.

"And what _does_ Major Carter say?" Jack asked dangerously, his voice low.

Sam never let her eyes waver from their lock with his. "I told the truth, sir," she daren't look at the General, who she knew was watching them carefully. "That I refused to follow your orders to leave the planet, hence leading to our current predicament."

Jack had had enough. He was damned if she was going to take the fall for his complete failure. "Carter that's a lie and you know it!" He hissed, rising from his seat to stand ominously over her."

"General," he barked, while still looking at Sam. "Truth is, I lost it. I'm not fit for duty. I couldn't handle seeing a stupid goa'uld come through the gate and it's nearly cost us all." He paused for a quick breath before stepping back from the table and making for the door. "I questioned my own judgement… hell, I _had_ no judgement! You'll have to find someone else to save the world." He'd stopped at the doorway briefly and threw his head over his shoulder to address the room one last time. "I'd just fuck it all up."

Jack didn't wait for their reaction. He didn't wait for Sam to come to his defence again – he didn't deserve her support. He didn't wait for General Hammond's order for him to sit down, to remain there, or at least to apologise for swearing. He just marched straight towards the lifts and headed for the surface. He was getting out of there. He wasn't coming back. He wasn't going to risk falling into Baal's hands again. Without realising it, like so many others before him, he'd become a slave to the fear that fed into the power of the goa'uld.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So there you go… I promise I'll get back to the mission soon – I've just got to get Jack back on board (which means the next chapter will include a conversation between him and Sam…)_

_Please tell me what you think! I'm really not confident about the way I'm writing Jack's reaction, it's just so hard to know – he's such a complex character (despite appearances – there's gotta be something going on in that head, right?)_


	4. Fit for duty

_A/N: Sooooooooooo sorry for the delay! I had to give a 30 minute presentation on the first French fascist party in the 1920s (much-o boring-o) yesterday so was unable to really work on this fic! I was going to work on it last night but was really tired, and then Aussie TV _finally_ showed the episode "Prometheus Unbound" on TV (they' d delayed it because Atlantis hadn't begun airing yet) so I had to watch that! Strange character, that Vala... kind of like that Bond villain "Onatopp" from Goldeneye..._

_Enough excuses… I hope I've made up for it with essentially a double chapter and even a little reward for you near the end!_

_Thanks for the reviews as always!  
_Bookworm_, I don't think I can stop second guessing myself but I'll shut up about my concerns (for the moment). You were right though – thanks for the input!  
_Texaslazyace_, thanks for reviewing! It's much appreciated! I hope you keep reading even if you revert to your 'lurking' ways!_

_Here 'tis…_

**Chapter IV – Fit for duty**

* * *

For the second time in the space of a few hours, General Hammond and the rest of SG1 were left staring at an open doorway that Jack had just raced through in a fit of anguished rage. The phone on the desk rang abruptly and General Hammond shot his arm out to answer it. 

"I understand. Yes. Thankyou airman." Putting the receiver back in its place, he stated simply: "Colonel O'Neill has left the base."

Teal'c had remained stoic throughout the exchange, but now chose to speak his mind. "General Hammond, I do not believe O'Neill to be unfit for duty." His voice diffused a sense of renewed calm on the room that had so recently been supercharged with emotion. "He in no way endangered this planet with his actions, and would not do so in the future."

Sam remained conspicuously quiet, contemplating the chair in front of her where Jack had been sitting. She couldn't deny that he was uncharacteristically rattled… but then what could they have expected? To be faced with the person who had tortured and _killed_ you repeatedly – no matter how much time you'd had to deal with it – was never going to be easy. The question remained: was he up for a mission to Australia? What if Baal _did _appear?

Above all these practical concerns, she felt an unquantifiable empathy for the man she had grown not only to like, but to admire above all others over the years. The man she held so dear to her heart she couldn't contemplate living her life without him as part of it. She'd tried so hard to get him back from Baal's clutches. She hadn't been able to do it quickly enough. She felt the annoying prickling sensation of tears forming in her eyes and took a quick intake of breath in an effort to stave them off, to remain strong where even the strongest person she knew couldn't.

As these thoughts flew through her mind, she became aware that there had been no movement in the room since Teal'c's last words. Looking up slowly, she realised that all eyes were on her.

"Major?" General Hammond had waited patiently for Sam's attention. He needed to know what exactly had happened on that planet.

"Sir," Sam again found herself looking at the walls around her for inspiration. "When Baal came through the gate, Colonel O'Neill _was_ shocked and, well… _froze_… for a short time…" she looked to Teal'c, who remained as impossible to read as ever. "But that didn't last long." She added emphatically.

"Yeah," Jonas contributed for the first time to the discussion. "He didn't seem to be out of it to me… just more on edge than normal… but he listened to us when pressed the importance of looking at the cave wall again before leaving." Jonas was relieved to see that Sam seemed to agree with his reading of the situation. "I mean, if he was _really_ irrational he wouldn't have let us do that."

"Indeed, it is O'Neill's own sense of doubt that fuels his current reaction, General." Teal'c completed what the other two members of SG1 were thinking.

General Hammond looked at the people seated in front of him, before glancing at the doorway Jack had disappeared into. He knew Jack. He knew what the career officer was capable of; he knew how many demons the man had already had to face throughout his life. He knew, above all, however, that if Colonel O'Neill spiralled into despair then he could not be allowed to depart on the mission.

His thoughts brought back to the mission at hand, he turned to Jonas quickly. "How much do we know of this 'Turramulli' and Uluru?"

Jonas looked a bit surprised at the change of subject but answered promptly. "Not a lot, General. Sam had already figured it was in Australia, so before this meeting I quickly looked up the references and apparently there is an indigenous Australian legend about a kind of monster called Turramulli, but I haven't had a chance to go far beyond that. Besides," he added, "there aren't that many experts on Aboriginal Dreamtime stories this side of the Pacific Ocean… we'll have to talk to an Australian expert."

Hammond nodded thoughtfully. Jonas' words confirmed what he had thought. He had a _lot_ of phone calls to make.

"I'll alert the President of the situation." He stood up from his chair, but was still resting his palms on the table. "We'll need to involve the Australian government in this – hopefully we'll be able to keep it within the military. We already have training agreements with their armed forces. Jonas," he continued, directing his attention more specifically on SG1's newest member, "I want to you determine whoever it is you need to help with this. I'll arrange for their clearance and then an aeroplane for you all tomorrow morning."

"What of O'Neill, General Hammond?" Teal'c voiced the concern they all shared.

"That's up to him, Teal'c. I'll try to get in touch with him now, but ultimately he has to decide whether he's fit for duty or not."

"But sir-" Sam felt helpless.

"I know Major," General Hammond held a hand up to stop her mid-sentence. "But unless he pulls himself together, then he's right. He could be a liability." Looking around the room at the apprehensive faces looking at him, he gathered the papers in front of him before moving towards the door. "If he's not ready by 0900 tomorrow, I'll have to assign someone else to lead SG1. Dismissed."

Sam slumped back into the chair and looked dejectedly towards Teal'c. Neither of them spoke as Jonas got up from his seat and headed towards Daniel's old lab, where he did most of his work. Instead they both sat, silently, contemplating the adverse turn of events that had befallen them on that planet.

Sam went over Jack's reactions again and again in her mind. The sheer distress that had been so obvious in his gaze when they were hiding in that cave haunted her. If nothing else, he was obviously harbouring a much heavier burden than he had let on. Of course they'd known basically that he'd been tortured, but he'd never really spoken of it – not that Sam expected he would.

"Should one of us go over there?" she asked Teal'c tentatively. "I mean, would he even let us in the door?"

Teal'c seemed prepared for this question, as he answered without thinking. "Indeed I believe you should try to converse with O'Neill."

"But maybe you-"

"You witnessed his true reaction to Baal's arrival, Major Carter," Teal'c said gravely, having evidently contemplated the possible courses of action. "I believe you are best suited for this particular task."

"But-"

"I will attempt to talk to O'Neill should you fail." Teal'c added evenly, before rising effortlessly out of his chair. "But I do not believe that scenario will occur."

Sam was left sitting alone in the debriefing room, apprehensive of what she was about to do. She wanted nothing more than to comfort Jack, to let him know how much she was sorry, how much she respected and believed in him. But… she knew how difficult he could be. Only a couple of months ago when Daniel ascended he had been so callous, so cold; how on Earth was she going to get through to him? How could she talk to him? Besides that, for years now she had been avoiding any situation where they would be too close. She knew her feelings for him were dangerously close to breaching the acceptable relationship allowed between her and her commanding officer… Seeing his distress in the cave had made her want to hug him, kiss him softly and tell him everything was going to be okay. She _still _wanted to do just that, but knew she couldn't.

Sighing in resignation she realised that in these concerns she was essentially missing the forest for the trees. She forced herself to concentrate on one thing, and one thing only: the Colonel needed _help_, whether he'd admit it or not. Re-energised with that simple realisation, she stood abruptly and purposefully moved out of the now-empty briefing room.

* * *

Jack roared down the road and turned abruptly into his driveway. He was going so fast the brakes on his truck only just managed to stop him from careering through his porch and into the front door of his house. He turned off the engine and sat in the dark; the world around him suddenly silent. The abrupt evaporation of sound around him left Jack alone with his thoughts, and he brusquely remembered why he had left the base so quickly. He angrily punched the steering wheel in front of him, causing the horn to sound. 

"It's not the car's fault, Jack." With a start Jack realised that he was no longer alone in the cabin of the truck.

"Daniel!" he hissed, embarrassed at being discovered in such a state. "What are you, spying on me!" His eyes portrayed the sense of hurt and betrayal he felt towards his friend. "What the hell are you doing here, anyway? The ascended life too boring for you?" Having recovered from the shock of discovering Daniel sitting next to him, the familiar hint of contemptuous sarcasm had returned to his voice.

"Jack," Daniel began patiently, "You need to calm down. There is nothing wrong with you. I said you would be alright and I stand by that."

"The HELL there isn't!" Jack shouted at the man sitting only inches to his right. "Baal's probably on his way to Earth and it's all MY fault! I didn't trust my own judgement!"

"Jack you don't know that." Daniel seemed unaffected by Jack's rage. "Baal probably would have found the reference to Earth given time… you don't even know if he has now." Jack was about to launch into another angry tirade when Daniel cut him off. "Don't you _get it_ Jack? If Baal hadn't come through the gate, if Jonas hadn't checked the wall for references, you wouldn't even know there was a danger!" Leaning in so that Jack couldn't avoid his gaze, Daniel emphasised his point: "You ultimately made the right choice in a bad situation; and thanks to that, you now know exactly what you're up against!"

"Hmph," Jack seemed to take this fact in briefly, before yet again finding a bone of contention. "But I still fucked up…" his voice wasnearly desperate now, "I was almost catatonic! If Carter hadn't've been there…" He let his voice trail away, remembering the soft, reassuring, feel of her hand on the back of his neck; the welcome warmth of her skin against his… bringing him back to reality, supporting him when he could no longer support himself.

"But she _was _there." Daniel stated simply. He briefly closed his eyes in concentration before turning to Jack once more. "In fact," he motioned behind him, "She's here now." With those words, he disappeared, leaving Jack speechless and alone in his truck.

As Jack watched Sam's car stop beside his, he heard Daniel's voice once more: "Listen to her Jack. They all need you back at the SGC."

* * *

Sam brought her car to a stop and turned the engine off. She sat looking at Jack's house with a certain sense of trepidation. She didn't know how he was going to react to her being there – he probably wouldn't welcome her presence, and it's not like she knew what she was going to say anyway. She had just garnered the courage to open the door and get out of the car when someone on the outside did it for her, letting the cool evening air wash over her. 

"Sir?" She blinked up at an apparently annoyed Jack, who was looking at her accusingly.

_A/N: how was that alliteration? grin _

"You gonna get out of the car Carter?" he seemed more resigned and impatient than angry at her appearance at his house. "Or would you like to talk here in my driveway?"

"Oh, umm… right." Sam cautiously undid her seatbelt and slid out of the car, confused at Jack's composed figure as he chivalrously closed the door behind her and strode off towards the front door.

"Right." She whispered to herself, following his receding figure towards the house. This reaction was not one she had envisaged. She'd been ready for a fight; ready to argue with him at the front door about letting her in. Instead, he'd come to get her. Incidentally, she wondered where he'd been. Apparently his front door was locked so he hadn't been inside yet.

Jack fought his recurring battle with the difficult lock before finally succeeding in opening his front door. Throwing it against the wall in a mix of frustration and resignation, he flicked on the light switch and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Wanna beer?" he threw over his shoulder at Sam, who was hesitating at the front door, looking around.

"Huh?" Sam only half heard him. Jack's house looked like squatters had been living in it. There were empty beer bottles and cans littering almost every surface of the house, barring a couple of "paths" left clear on the floor. Sam noted that these predominantly led from the kitchen to the living room and to the bathroom. She snapped out of her shock to look at Jack, who was waving a couple of beer bottles in the air, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Oh, right. Yeah, sure." She managed to get out, moving awkwardly into the house and closing the front door behind her. There was a hole in the wall where the doorknob had smashed against it. She noted that it appeared to be well-worn; apparently Jack often took out his anger on the front door.

"Ok. Two beers." Jack flipped the lids of the bottles with his thumb and handed one to her before moving towards the living room and sitting on the couch. He called over his shoulder to her as he moved down the hall. "You coming? Sorry about the mess… my cleaning lady went on strike."

Sam moved slowly down the hall and perched on the edge of the couch in the living room. "Sir, you don't _have_ a cleaning lady." She said quietly.

Jack feigned surprise. "Huh? Well maybe I should get one." He sat back on the couch and took a large gulp of his beer. His eyes were directed straight ahead at the silent TV. He was waiting for her to speak.

Sam shook her head slightly trying to brush of the strangeness of the situation. She brought her mind back to the task at hand and cleared her throat so that Jack was looking at her.

"Um, sir…" she never thought she'd feel so unsure of herself talking to him like this. She desperately wanted to reassure him, to tell him everything was ok. But if she did that, would he just come back with one of his evasive sarcastic comments?

"Out with it Carter, we both know why you're here." Jack's voice didn't sound annoyed, and his expression was calm, but Sam felt there was a certain edge; a challenge in his tone.

"Well, sir, I just…" she faltered again, before taking the bull by the horns, speaking in a tumbling rant. "Sir, no one thinks for a minute that you're not fit for duty. In fact, no one thinks for a minute that we can defend this planet against Baal _without _you." She saw Jack cringe at the mention of the Goa'uld but ignored it, speaking quickly now so as to avoid any interruption. "You were perfectly justified in wanting to leave that planet as soon as possible, and it's a credit to your leadership that you listened to my feelings on the matter." She saw Jack wasn't even trying to contradict her but, rather than taking this as a good sign, it made Sam slightly concerned. She continued nonetheless, essentially reciting the speech she had been formulating on the drive over. "There are absolutely no doubts about your competency – and General Hammond agrees. The fact that you were willing to discuss our course of action and go against your instincts is a testament to that." She slid down onto the couch proper, sitting next to him. She rested her elbows on her knees and let her hand holding the bottle of beer hover in front of her. Looking at him sideways, she made her final point. "We need you sir." Quietly, she added: "_I _don't want to do this without you."

Jack had been sitting patiently on the couch listening to Sam's rant. He had known what she was going to say. As predicted, it complimented Daniel's argument. Still, her reference to their 'discussion' on the planet brought the seriousness of his conduct to his attention. Resisting the urge to tell Sam where to go, he remembered Daniel's words and breathed in deeply.

"Carter-" Jack didn't know where to start. He realised now that Baal's discovery of Uluru's true location was inevitable, but that didn't mean he was fit for duty. "Carter," he began again, "The fact that I listened to you in that stupid cave… that's not the point." He glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the blank screen on the other side of the room. Taking another great swig of his beer, he forced himself to continue talking. "There shouldn't have to _be _any discussion. The military was designed for orders to be issued and promptly followed – not _discussed_. I have to make those orders, and you should feel able to follow them; trusting my judgement even if you don't agree with me." He turned his head slightly to look at her. "If there's any ambiguity then (a) I'm not fit for duty, and (b) I'd only end up getting you killed."

The frankness of his words alarmed Sam. Setting her beer down on the table in front of them, she flattened her palms against her legs before bring her hands up to her head and rubbing her eyes in an attempt to think more clearly.

"Sir, I _do _trust your judgement." She sank back into the couch. "If you'd repeated your order to leave, I would have." She turned to look at him again. "_I_ made the choice to 'discuss' our options."

Jack clicked his tongue in exasperation. She wasn't getting it. "But don't you see?" He appealed to her, the pitch of his voice getting higher with his desperation. "I was _wrong_. My judgement was off… you were _right_ to question me. I can't risk that happening again – you're all better off without me."

"Oh for crying out loud," Sam breathed to herself, clenching her fists in frustration at his stubborn attitude. "Sir, you're only human. No one is a military machine…" she held up a hand to stop him from interceding. "It's not like you've never been wrong before – and I can guarantee you, you'll be wrong again at some point in the future…" she hazarded a small smile at this point, hoping he would bite at her teasing jibe. Instead, he seemed to be in deep thought, the uncertainty painted clearly on his face.

Jack was pondering his own weaknesses. Of course he knew it was impractical to believe that he'd always make the right call. The problem was, up until now he'd always more or less trusted his own judgement. He knew the seed of doubt could be their undoing. Besides, he'd be even less use to them if he was going to freeze every time Baal came near him.

"I still can't trust myself not to freeze like I did earlier." He said the words so quietly he wasn't sure if it had been out loud or not. Realising the admission he'd just made, he silently prayed for the latter.

Sam, however, had definitely heard his words. She was amazed he was being so open with her. Reaching over to him and taking his now empty beer out of his hands, she put it on the table next to hers before turning back to look him straight in the eye. She edged closer so that there was no longer a gaping space between them on the couch.

"Sir… _Jack_…" she registered a small flutter in her stomach at using his first name. Her voice was becoming throaty with empathy for what he must have gone through to have that reaction upon hearing Baal's voice. "No one blames you for that. After what he did to you, it's perfectly understandable…"

"Carter I know _that_," Jack growled at her, losing patience with the position he found himself in. "But don't you see? I'll be no use to anyone if I'm freakin' catatonic!"

"You won't be." Sam stated simply.

"Huh?" Jack was confused, was she agreeing with him? This didn't make sense. "I won't be any use! Then why are you-"

"I didn't mean that, sir," Sam rectified quickly. "I meant you won't be catatonic."

"How do you _know_!" Jack's voice squealed at her as he remembered his complete loss of control.

"Sir, there's no way you'd freeze like that if we were in an active situation…" Sam began, still looking him straight in the eye, willing him to believe in her trust in him. "Before, we were hiding in an alcove – it's completely different."

"I repeat: how do you _know_!" Jack enunciated the word in an exaggerated manner, opening his mouth wide as he said it.

"Because I have faith in you." Sam said quietly, averting her eyes from his quickly to hide her feelings from him.

"Well you're the only one in this room that does." Jack let his head fall into his hands, which were being propped up by his elbows digging uncomfortably into his thighs. "You don't know what it was like…" He said quietly, not even really talking to Sam, but to the room in general.

"I know that." Sam said quietly, waiting for him to take the initiative and speak again.

"This isn't some selfish, 'I want to wallow in my sorrows' thing," he twisted his head to take a peak at her. "I don't want to get anyone else hurt." He paused briefly, "Just me, I can live with. But if anything happened to you guys…"

Sam put her hand gently on his arm and let it slide down over the coarse skin to grasp his hand. Jack allowed her to do this and lifted his head to look at her. He saw the concern in her eyes; he saw how much she wanted to make it all better. He felt her warm skin touching against his and wished for the thousandth time that they could just forget about everything they'd been through and live their lives without having to worry about yet another damned system lord.

"Do you honestly believe you could just sit back while we tried our best to defeat Baal without you?" Sam spoke softly, but there was nothing hesitant about her voice. She'd found a way to convince him – his Achilles heel – and she knew it. "SG1 is more than a unit, sir – we're a team… and we need our leader."

"But-"

"Don't interrupt!" Sam ordered softly, her hand still grasping his. "I can't even begin to imagine what he did to you," her expression darkened again, filling with empathy for him and transmitting the utmost sincerity into her words. "Whatever happens," her voice was faltering now, "We'll… _I'll_ be there with you… this time we'll face him together and we'll get him." She tried to ignore a tear that had escaped from her eye and was tracing its way down her cheek. "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get you out sooner last time… I'm so sorry I made you take that symbiote… I'm so sorry for what happened…"

Sam lost all her self-control and finally ceded to her desire to wrap her arms around him in a massive hug. The anguish of knowing he was trapped at Baal's hand but being unable to find a solution had torn her up inside and now she felt incredibly responsible for his state of mind.

"Hey, Carter?" Jack whispered, his arms loosely draped around her waist. Suddenly he felt mildly uncomfortable with their closeness, aware of how dangerous it could prove to be. "It's ok. Really. It's not your fault."

Sam pulled away from him slightly, sensing his discomfort with their close proximity. She wiped her eyes, trying to get rid of the slight stinging sensation from the tears mixing with what was left of her mascara. "I still wish it hadn't happened… I'm so sorry it did." Her eyes were red with sadness and for once both she and Jack just looked at each other, neither of them trying to alter their appearance or behaviour. They were simply themselves.

"I know Sam," Jack found himself in the strange position of now comforting the person who had wanted to comfort him. "But I don't need your pity, k? As you said, we'll fight him together."

"You think this is pity!" she didn't even register that fact that Jack had essentially agreed to come on the mission to Australia. "You don't have my pity… you have my _support_ – always." Before she knew what she was doing, Sam closed the distance between them again, this time keeping her face level with his. She felt him take a sharp breath as she drew nearer, opening his mouth slightly in anticipation. Softly, she kissed him on the lips, telling him again that everything was going to be alright, that she was going to be there with him.

Abruptly Sam pulled away, her expression one of horror at what she had just done. "Oh God… I shouldn't have done that… I- I'm sorry." Before Jack could say or do anything – indeed, before he could even come to terms with the fact that her lips were no longer pleasantly locked with his – Sam was on her feet and almost running out of his house.

Finally coming to his senses, Jack shook himself out of his torpor and got to his feet, running after her. He got outside and onto the porch just as she was getting into her car.

"Sam! Wait!" She didn't stop, but instead slammed the door closed and hurriedly started the engine. "Dammit!" Jack shouted to the night as her tyres squealed as the car roared backwards down the driveway away from the house.

* * *

He stood, fixed on the spot, in the silent night, looking absently into the driveway as if his mind power alone would cause her car to return. Before he could even think about what had just happened in any rational manner, he heard a shrill ringing noise emanating from his car. Unable to ignore the ear-splitting ring-tone of his new phone, he angrily wrenched the passenger seat open and grabbed the phone to his ear. 

"O'Neill!" he barked, warning whoever it was on the other end to tread careful.

"Colonel," General Hammond's concerned voice filtered into his ear. "I was getting concerned, I've been trying to call you for over almost an hour now."

Jack calmed down slightly but had found a new sense of purpose. He was retrieving his keys from where they were, still embedded in the front door, as he spoke to General Hammond. He strode purposefully back towards the car and hoisted himself into the driver's seat, turning on the ignition.

"Sorry General, I'd left my phone in the car." His voice was determined and precise, with no evidence of emotion. "I'm on my way back into the base." He stated matter-of-factly. "Permission to leave for Australia with the rest of my team in the morning?"

General Hammond didn't quite know what to think of Jack's reactions, but wasn't going to second guess his 2IC. Figuring he could ask questions when Jack got there, he merely indicated his approval and hung up.

Jack looked at his watch quickly as he reversed brazenly down his driveway. It was only 8pm, he doubted Carter would be going home in the state she was in – she'd prefer to distract herself with some piece of technology. Also, she'd never imagine he'd voluntarily go back to the base this late into the evening. In this case, she'd be wrong.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: There you go! An extra long instalment to make up for my late posting! This was a struggle and a half to write how I wanted it, so I hope it came out ok… _

_I think we'll actually get to the mission in the next chapter – or at least we'll prepare for it. It's funny how I think I can get so much into a chapter and then before I know it I've only written half of what I meant to and it's already like 5 pages! That's why this chapter was so long – I didn't want to break it up at all so I just put it all in together! _

_PLEASE review! I'm dying to know what you all think of this…_


	5. Status quo

_A/N: Man it's been AGES! Hope you haven't all forgotten about this fic. I had three essays due in the week just passed, so I was a bit busy. Then it took me a while to write this – I'm bilingual and have spent most of the last week not speaking English (I speak French as my preferred language),so it was a bit of a shock to return to good ole shakespeare's language! There are a couple of weird sentences still I think, but I tried to make everything normal. J'espere..._

_Thanks for all the reviews, they are much appreciated. Hopefully you'll all review after this chap too – you know I love it! Just one clarifying note: _Questionablelight:_ never fear - there is no WAY I would have Crocodile Hunter or someone like that as an expert! Those kinds of stereotypes need to be fought against, dammit!_

_Here 'tis…_

**Chapter V – Status quo**

* * *

Sam pressed her thumb onto the button in the lift with such force she was surprised it didn't give way. In her mind, she saw the wall crumbling away, taking her hand and cutting it off at the wrist. She would have welcomed the pain as a distraction from the total embarrassment she felt. As the lift lurched into action she snapped out of it, realising she still hadn't retracted her hand. Disconcerted by the eerie silence and artificial lighting of the small space, she tried in vain to keep control of herself as her mind refused to slow down. The trip down into the sublevels of Cheyenne Mountain seemed interminable, and every blip indicating she'd passed another floor seemed to indicate a countdown to impending doom. 

She had kissed him. The Colonel, her CO… her Jack. Pacing around the small square of space, Sam clenched her fists in her short hair. What on _earth_ could have possessed her-? How was she going to rectify-? How was she going to explain-? There were so many questions, none of them with pleasant answers.

It was at this moment that the lift came to an abrupt halt and the doors open. Unfortunately, in her pacing, Sam was just approaching the doors and had reached her hand out to slap her palm against the surface when it retracted, leaving Jonas' face defenceless against her anger.

"Ow! Sam?" Jonas had cupped his hands over his nose, which, though not broken, was definitely bleeding. The tone of his voice had been indignant, but seeing her race down the hallway as if her very existence depended on it, he started after her. "Sam!" He called out, this time definitely concerned. "SAM!"

She was ignoring him, and moved even more quickly towards the entrance to her lab, where she wrenched the door open and disappeared inside. The closing door shook with force and seemed to make every thing in the corridor rattle as well. Jonas stopped on the spot and looked at the blank surface in confusion.

Now inside her lab, Sam stopped still for a moment and looked around at what others might think was a chaotic collection of alien technologies, but was actually perfectly ordered. Her eyes moved around the room from contraption to contraption as she searched for something to focus on – anything. She sat down in front of her computer on the table and turned it on, still unsure as to what she was doing. Maybe she would review her latest mission reports – anything to avoid thinking of the fact that her career was likely over.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a small box, perched precariously on the edge of the table. Her mind was instantly propelled back to a couple of days beforehand: Jack standing on the other side of the table, holding the piece of alien technology between his fingers, testing the surfaces, as if he was going to make some discovery that all the scientists in the SGC couldn't make. He'd tossed it from one hand to the other and, as usual, she'd admonished him for playing with her "doohickeys" as he called them. It really didn't matter, whatever the box was… no-one had been able to figure the least thing out about it and it seemed pretty hardy. He could have dropped it and probably nothing would have happened. Their exchange had been playful, easy, like a well-rehearsed game they repeated so often. Angrily Sam pushed her hand out, knocking the gadget onto the floor. It made a strange clanging noise as it bounced across and hit the filing cabinet. Sam looked over dejectedly only to see the box disappear in a flash of white light.

Stunned, to say the least, she sat back in her chair and blinked her eyes repeatedly. Before she could even react, the box reappeared on the table in front of her, exactly where it had been before. Sam stood up and looked all around the room, as if the answer would just present itself to her. Funnily enough, it did.

"Hi Sam." Daniel was leaning easily against the wall behind where Sam had been sitting. "You know, you really have no idea what that thing is – it could've exploded or something."

Sam was lost for words, she was torn between her anger at herself, her relief at seeing Daniel – apparently alive – but most of all her anger at Daniel for disappearing from her life, from leaving them all behind to grieve for him, with no closure as to where he was. Distractedly she steadied herself against the table to stop from falling, mouth still wide open. She had to be hallucinating.

"You're not." Daniel hadn't moved from his position. He was waiting patiently for Sam to grasp what was happening. "I'm really here – well kinda." He added a hopeful smile.

"O- Ok." Sam managed to get out, all the while thinking that not only was her career over, but she was going to be institutionalised.

"Really, Sam." Daniel moved a bit closer to her, holding her frightened gaze. "Ascended beings can appear in corporeal form."

Sam looked at Daniel with mixed feelings: wanting to collapse into a puddle of tears, and wishing at the same time she could hit him repeatedly for giving up and ascending in the first place. Finally she let herself slide down to the floor, her back resting against the table, and cradled her head in her hands.

"Ok, so you're here." She mumbled tiredly through her fingers. "_Why_ are you here?"

Daniel sat down against the wall opposite her and waited for her to lift her head and look at him again. He knew he had to be patient, that with someone as strong willed as Sam it would take something special to convince her that she hadn't just ruined her life.

"I was actually in the area," he tried to keep his tone light, aware at the same time that it could be ingratiating to Sam's ears. He rectified his comment. "I was here to help Jack, Sam." His face registered a certain seriousness again. "I was talking to him when you arrived at his house. You showed a lot of courage doing that, I know how conflicted you must feel."

Sam let a bitter laugh escape from her mouth, her eyes rolling back into her head as she leaned further into the cool surface behind her. "Conflicted doesn't even _begin _to describe it…" She snapped her head back down to look directly at Daniel. "I've just ruined my career. Did you know that? He who can see everything?" The harshness of her voice cut into the stillness of the room.

"Oh right, the kiss." Daniel nodded, "I wasn't spying – I promise." He raised his hand up in defence as Sam bristled with indignation. "But I _do _think you're over-reacting."

"God, you never understood the military at all, did you?" Sam's eyes were wide with amazement at what this so-called wise, higher being was spinning. "I could go to JAIL for that – not to mention the fact that I could _never _look Colonel O'Neill in the eye again!"

Daniel fought to keep a smile from curling the corners of his mouth upwards as he looked at the woman sitting across from him. Such a fantastic mind, such a gifted soldier – and yet she was so completely dense when it came to some things.

"First things first, Sam." Daniel said calmly, hoping she would listen to him. "People do _not_ get sent to jail for having a 10 second kiss." He waved his finger at her disapprovingly as he saw her ready to object. "If it came to anything – and I stress, _IF_ – then you'd be reassigned to some other team. No biggie." Daniel let that sink in for a moment. "But anyways, it's not like you and Jack are going to _tell_ anyone about the kiss, is it?"

"He might." Sam pouted quietly, causing Daniel to snort with laughter.

"Oh yeah, sure Sam." he was smiling, thinking of the scene that would take place. "He'd voluntarily get one of his best friends and most trusted colleagues transferred _away_ from him."

"Well he should!" Sam retorted haughtily. "Besides, I don't want to be anywhere near him for a while, knowing that I pretty much jumped him…"

This comment made Daniel chuckle again, much to Sam's annoyance. "It's not like you _jumped _him Sam… it was more like you ran _away_ from him. I don't think I've seen a departure that quick since I was playing kiss-chasey at primary school!"

"Goddammit Daniel," Sam screeched all of a sudden, "This is NOT a joke! I've screwed up! Apart from anything else I've let my inappropriate feelings towards a superior officer take over – I _should_ be transferred, I _should_ lose my job!"

"Wow, good thing I disabled the cameras…" Daniel murmured to himself as he regarded Sam warily. He suddenly regretted the tack he had taken in talking to her. She was way too wound up for him to be making fun of her – as much as he had missed their comfortable jibing of the past. He let her calm down and slowly inched forward before settling against the table, sitting just next to her.

"Sam?" he asked permission to speak again quietly. She turned her head slightly towards him, which he took as a sign of encouragement. "You wanna know why I'm really here?" She turned her head fully to look him in the eyes now. Daniel took a deep breath. "You've done nothing wrong – _nothing_." He emphasised the word softly but firmly. "You've been a wonderful source of strength for Jack; if it weren't for you, I don't think he'd be as ok as he is with everything that happened. He _needs _you Sam, and you know that you need him."

"But-" Sam tried to interject but Daniel stopped her.

"Just listen, ok?" Daniel started speaking faster, turning his head frequently to the locked door behind them. "You both have feelings for each other – they've been there for a good couple of years now. One kiss isn't going to change that. For better or worse, you two are meant to be together, but you have to be apart." He put his hand up to stop Sam from objecting. Her eyes were now wide with disbelief. "_Believe me_, Sam… I know Jack feels the same way."

Daniel had just stopped speaking and had indicated with a nod of the head that he was done when there was a loud kafuffle in the corridor.

"Not NOW Jonas!" Daniel could hear Jack's angry voice, sounding hoarse and worried, as the man apparently came tearing down the hall. The next moment, there was a large _bang_ against Sam's locked door and a cry of pain before they could both hear a distinct _thud_ as Jack apparently bounced off the door and onto the ground.

"Sam." Daniel drew her attention back to him. "Nothing has changed, got it?" He waited until he saw her nod numbly, still not entirely convinced, before he disappeared from the room.

* * *

Jack blinked rapidly as he tried to stave off the tears that were invading his eyes. _Ow! _He reached his hand up to his forehead and rubbed it unconsciously. Groggily looking around him he wondered how the hell he had ended up on the floor outside Sam's lab. Even more strangely, it sounded like there was a man in the lab. That couldn't be right… With considerable effort, he hoisted himself to his feet and this time, carefully, tried to open the door – only to find that the door was locked and it wouldn't budge. 

"Huh, that would explain the headache, then." He murmured to no-one in particular.

As soon as he had uttered those words, the door opened from the inside. He stepped through the doorway just as a worryingly-pale Sam returned to the other side of the table in the middle of the lab and gingerly perched on the chair behind her computer.

"Jeez Carter, since when do you lock your door?" Jack was still concentrating on the dull pain of his head, and hadn't quite remembered why he was there yet.

Sam seemed all of a sudden to find some force she had been lacking and stood from her chair, stiffly keeping her arms to the side, almost at attention.

"I apologise Colonel," her voice was rigid, guarded.

"Nah, s'ok." Jack shook his head slightly as if the pain would just go away with the action. "Shoulda knocked. Who were you talking to?" Jack suddenly realised that there appeared to be no-one in the room, even though he was sure he'd heard a male voice.

"No-one." Her response was so swift Jack was sure she was hiding something, but he let it go. Sam was fixed on the spot, her body almost quivering with the tension of seeing Jack standing in front of her. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she steeled herself and spoke. "Sir, I understand my actions were completely inappropriate beforehand and I am truly sorry. Of course, if you wish to report my-"

"Carter stop." Jack had known she would go into 'protocol-mode' the minute he'd got there, but he still didn't quite know how he was going to get her out of it. "Are you nuts?" The look of incredulity on his face would have made Sam laugh in any other situation. "There's no _way_ I would risk losing one of my best…"

"But Colonel, sir," Sam began, "You can't deny-"

"A-ah, Carter," his voice had a hint of warning within it, although she could still sense a certain warmth. "Look-" He paused, suddenly completely unsure. He'd rushed to the SGC so quickly and flew down the corridor – into her door – with such force that he realised with a start he hadn't thought about what he'd actually _say _when he got there. "You see Carter-" he tried again, only to find himself woefully lacking for the words to say. Only the sight of Sam opening her mouth to speak prompted him to finally get his act together and complete a sentence.

"Ok Carter it's like this." Jack stuck his hand in his pockets and looked intently at his feet, the following words coming out of his mouth in a gruff flurry. "What happened was no-one's _fault_. We… I… I woulda done the same thing if the situations were reversed." He stopped short, not daring look up to see her face, although he was certain she was still standing stiffly, fixed to the spot. "Ummm…" Jack found his eyes drawn to the table and the strange box-like doohickey Sam and the other geeks had been trying to decipher and picked it up, casually passing it between his hands. "I uh… it's good that you came by tonight Sam." He looked up cautiously at Sam. She was looking straight at him, but seemed miles away; he could almost _see_ the thought processes flitting by behind her eyes. "I uh… I'm glad you came."

Sam's eyes had clouded over so that even though she knew she was looking at Jack, she wasn't really seeing anything in front of her. She was thinking. Fast. _"I woulda done the same thing"_ The words kept repeating in her mind as she tried to make sense of it all. Was Daniel right? Could two people really be meant for each other? Did the kiss really change nothing? Did he _really_ feel the same way about her as she did about him? Were they just supposed to continue as if nothing had happened! Considering it, she realised that they'd essentially been doing that for a long time; ignoring the reality of their relationship.

"Ok."

She said the simple word so softly Jack almost missed it, he had begun another stilted sentence he didn't know how to end but stopped short as she spoke.

"Um… we're ok?" Jack had never pretended to know exactly what was going on in her head, but sometimes he needed some prompting even to get the general gist of it.

"Sir, I really don't know." Sam looked at him, her expression calm and neutral. "I honestly don't know – what I _do_ know is that Ba'al is going to be on his way here very soon and that we need to come up with a plan."

"So we just move on…" Jack had winced at the mention of Ba'al's name but realised she was right. If ever there was a soldier, it was Sam Carter, he thought to himself.

"Yes sir." The formality in her actions and voice said differently, but for the moment Sam was trying her hardest to ignore the sense of embarrassment she felt just looking at her CO.

"You're ok with that? I don't want you to think-"

"It's ok sir, really. I've had some time to think and Da…" Sam's voice trailed away. She didn't want to get into anything she'd been thinking about – let alone mention what could well have been a hallucination of Daniel.

"And what?" Jack's ears pricked up. He sensed she really had been on the point of saying something important, but had pulled herself back. He found himself thinking back to the voice he had heard before in the lab.

"Nothing, I've just had time to think" Sam said defensively, belatedly she added "Sir", hopefully warning him to let alone.

"I _did_ hear a voice before didn't I?" Jack challenged, stepping closer to Sam. "Daniel?"

Sam gasped at hearing his name spoken. "How did you-!" She couldn't even complete the sentence, and instead gaped at Jack in disbelief.

Jack put the doohickey he'd been holding down on the table in front of him and brushed a hand through his hair. "Because I've seen him too."

"How?"

"I dunno…"

"But why?"

"Carter, I really don't know why he keeps involving his ascended ass with such primitive matters as our lives, but he is." Jack seemed to have returned to his normal, gruff comments. But softened when he saw the bewildered expression on Sam's face. "Let's just get some sleep before this mission tomorrow, k?"

Sam recognised that he didn't want to talk about Daniel, for whatever reason. She decided to let it alone. "Sir, it's only 9pm." She pointed out matter-of-factly. "I think I'm going to go through some of the information on Australian mythology I had delivered earlier and read over it."

"Ah Carter, I'm not going to have to order you to sleep am I?" The playful tone had returned to Jack's voice as his eyes twinkled mischievously. "I don't care how early it is – we've got a hell of a day tomorrow when we get to Australia."

"Sir, it's going to take us twenty _hours_ just to _get_ to Australia… by the time we get there it will be the day _after _tomorrow." She was rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of thinking they'd be in Australia so quickly. "Besides, given the time difference, it could even be the day after that."

Jack was stunned. Of course he should have known that it wouldn't be a quick trip across the pacific, but it still seemed ridiculous the country should be so far. "Damn. When oh when will the Asgard share enough with us that we can just _beam _places?" He said, shaking his head slightly, motioning nonetheless for Sam to exit the lab. "All the same Carter, no more lab-work for you tonight. You work too hard as it is and I don't want to discover you've pulled an all-nighter when I see you at the briefing tomorrow." He paused, looking at the pile of papers Sam had been motioning at. "Just read over that stuff in your quarters or something."

Sam picked up the heavy file sitting on the edge of her desk and sighed with exasperation. "Yes sir." With that, she followed him out the door.

* * *

They walked down the halls in a somewhat comfortable silence Sam wouldn't have thought possible just twenty minutes beforehand. Jack seemed to be deep in thought, and nearly ran headlong into a marine who was walking the other way. 

"Sir?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Huh? Oh right, sorry." He nodded quickly at the startled marine before skirting around him and continuing down the corridor. He turned briefly to Sam, apparently preparing a careful query. "We're going to get in-flight movies, right?"

Sam couldn't stop the giggle from escaping her lips as she looked back at Jack, smiling fully.

"I mean, twenty _hours_!" he exclaimed dramatically, gesticulating wildly with his arms. "I don't know about you, but I can't pass that much time without watching some B-grade disaster movie."

"Somehow I don't think we're going to be exactly flying Qantas, sir." Sam said playfully as they entered the lift at the end of the hallway.

"Yeah I guess," Jack breathed out deeply. "For starters we'd have to get some counterfeit documentation for Teal'c and Jonas – and then there'd be the problem of transporting the staff weapon and zats… what would we declare them as?"

Sam suddenly stopped where she was, a look of horror on her face. "Oh God, _Jonas_!" She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"What about him?" Jack asked, suddenly concerned.

Sam's face adopted a guilty expression as she looked sideways at Jack. "I um… I was in a bit of a rush to get to my lab when I arrived here sir," she began carefully, "and I kinda _accidentally_ essentially punched him in the face."

Jack's eyebrows lifted above his eyes in amusement. "_Really_?" he mused. "That would explain why he was standing in the corridor outside your lab like a stunned mullet when I got there."

The lift abruptly stopped moving and Jack started to move towards the door. Sam didn't move, still horrified by her earlier actions. "Oh god what am I going to tell him! I've got to apologise…"

"Carter," Jack said firmly. "I think maybe it would be best left to tomorrow – I wasn't exactly polite to him either… we need some time to think of an explanation, right?"

"Yeah I guess," Sam sighed resignedly as she exited the lift and walked towards her quarters, Jack still at her side. They both stopped outside Sam's quarters, Jack shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, apparently weighing something up in his mind.

"Night sir," Sam turned to him as she opened the door.

"G'night Carter." Jack said, still unmoving from the spot. "Oh and Carter?" he added quickly.

"Sir?"

Jack put his hands back in his pockets and looked down to the floor again. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything… for being there… y'know – just thanks." Jack let the words slip out of his mouth quickly and made a hasty retreat down the hall towards his own quarters.

Sam entered her quarters, whispering quietly to herself as she closed the door. "Always."

* * *

_A/N: Ok. So NEXT TIME there will actually be some action – I promise they'll get to Australia and there's a nasty surprise or two coming up! I just needed Sam and Jack to sort this out (well, not really – they've got to do that later – but at least get themselves into a position where they can carry on like they usually do)._

_Please review! Any lingering issues from these conversations I need to clear up? Ready to move on? Feedback is my life-force!_


	6. Tjukurpa

_A/N: This is a quick update! I was going to make this part longer (and actually GET to Australia) but since there's a nice break in the action and I'm going to be a bit busy soon (with my own outside, boring life), I thought I'd give you what I've got!_

_Thanks for the couple of reviews I got since my last post – I realise you all haven't had long, but I'd appreciate some more feedback! _Bookworm: _I'm shocked you find another's pain so hilarious… but then, it was quite amusing – did you like my crack about inflight movies? _Dietcokechick: _You're going to laugh, but I swear it took me a good five minutes looking at your screen name to figure it out – had me confused as anything. I'll try to be good and detailed about Australia (with Jack interjecting before it gets too boring)… you should get your ass down here sometime – it's a great place!_

_Here we go again!_

**Chapter VI - Tjukurpa**

* * *

Jonas reached for the coffee sitting on the table amongst the complete chaos that was all the research material he had printed on indigenous Australian mythology and cultural history. He gulped the murky brown liquid within the mug only to discover that – yet again – it had gone cold. Where _had_ all the time gone? He was about to stand up to head for the mess to get yet another refill when he heard a timid knock against the open door. 

"Jonas?" Sam looked at him apprehensively, unsure as to how he was going to react.

"Sam. Hi." Jonas was wary, and waited for her to make the first move.

"How's it coming?" Sam asked quietly, noticing that although his nose looked a bit red, there didn't seem to be too much swelling.

"Yeah, not too bad." Jonas leant back into the chair, placing the unwanted beverage back on the table in front of him carefully so it didn't spill. "What are you doing up so late?"

Sam looked at her watch again, reassuring herself that it was, in fact, morning. "It's 6am Jonas – have you been up all night?"

Jonas whirled around to look at the TV and computer monitors behind him and saw with shock that it was indeed the next day. "I guess so. There's a lot of information – it's really quite fascinating."

"Yeah." Sam twisted her lips slightly as she gathered the strength to apologise for her actions. "Listen Jonas, about last night…"

"Are you alright?" Jonas cut her off before she could force anything else out of her mouth.

"Huh? Um.. yeah." Sam looked to the floor, ashamed. "I'm really sorry. I really didn't mean to hit you – I didn't even realise I had until some time later – I was… preoccupied."

"Anything I can help with?" Jonas looked at the woman standing before him, concern filling his face. He didn't for a minute think she'd attacked him on purpose, and he knew it must have had something to do with Jack… but he'd learnt enough during his short time with them not to get in the middle. He let Sam decide.

"Not at the moment." Sam smiled weakly. "Thanks though, you don't know much I appreciate your understanding." Sam was in fact incredibly grateful for Jonas' discretion, and found herself in admiration again of his wisdom and warmth.

Jonas nodded before turning to the TV screen behind him, thinking about the day ahead. "You know it's spring in Australia?" He nodded towards the weather channel broadcast. "Apparently an unusually warm one – they've already had a spate of bushfires and it's not even December yet."

"Bushfires? You mean forest fires?" Sam looked to where Jonas was indicating and saw the disquieting footage of ordinary people trying to protect their homes from towering flames.

"Yeah, but that's what they're called in Australia – since they destroy the bush and not the forest." Jonas indicated to the screen again. "That one's just outside Melbourne. They've had temperatures at around 105F for nearly a week now – only getting down to the high 80s at night."

"Hostile country." Sam remarked, taken aback by the harsh environment.

"No worse than some parts of our country." A familiar voice made Jonas and Sam turn around to see Jack standing in the doorway behind them. "Hey guys." He added. "Jonas-"

"Don't worry about it Colonel." Jonas waved his hand in the air. "There's a fair amount of stress circulating at the moment, I shouldn't have-"

"Be that as it may," Jack spoke deliberately, "You didn't deserve to have your head bitten off… so for what it's worth, I'm apologising."

Jonas looked to both Sam and Jack, seeing the evident tension in their faces. They were praying he wasn't going to ask too many questions and he knew it. Shaking his head slightly he put their behaviour down to being 'one of those things' and granted them their wish. "Ok Jack, apology accepted." He smiled, seeing the look of relief on their faces. "So I take it you're back on board for the mission?" The grin that spread across both their faces told him he that was indeed the case. "Good. We need you." He looked at the TV screen again. "Sam tells me it's morning – you guys hungry?"

"Is the Pope a catholic?" Jack's face had lit up with the prospect of sustenance. "Well, you'd wanna hope so anyway…" he added to no-one in particular as they all traipsed out of the room and down towards the mess. He noted with some amusement that Jonas was gripping what looked like a dead cup of coffee in his hands. The guy was turning into a Daniel clone, to be sure.

* * *

General Hammond slumped into the chair at the head of the briefing table, willing the paracetamol tablets he'd just taken to take effect. A four hour video-telephone conference with the Australian Prime Minister, opposition leader and head of the armed forces, with the US President taking part, had not been his idea of a good time at five am that morning; and yet it's what he had done. Predictably enough, Prime Minister Howard expressed a certain sense of disbelief at hearing of the Stargate Programme. Worse still, he was incensed at having been kept in the dark about it for so many years – the Australians considering the USA one of their key allies, above even Great Britain. He'd just have to deal with it. There was no way a country with roughly the same sized economy as Texas was going to be privy to every bit of classified information from the American side of things. 

At least he'd acquiesced to the President's request that SG1 travel to Australia to try and determine what the exact nature of Uluru was – not that the Australian government was going to help much in liaising with the indigenous community. The general sighed heavily as he looked at the expectant faces sitting before him. They weren't going to have an easy mission, even if Baal _didn't_ show up.

"Colonel," Hammond's voice was commanding, but still soft. "Am I to assume that you are in fact fit for duty?"

"Yes sir," Jack replied uneasily, hoping he wouldn't be forced to do a psych evaluation or anything like that. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He glanced at Sam, who had been looking at him but looked away quickly. He was sure she'd been anxious about his answer. He had heard her breath catch when General Hammond addressed him. He shook his head and returned his attention to his superior officer. "I take it by the look on your face the Australian authorities have been briefed?"

Hammond reflected that he must look tired and thought for the umpteenth time how he wouldn't accept that kind of comment from anyone _but_ Jack O'Neill. But then, no one other than Jack would be so cheeky. "As much as was possible, Colonel," he replied tiredly. "We have clearance to use the Pine Gap Joint Military Defence Facility, 19 kilometres south of Alice Springs, and roughly 300 kilometres north of Uluru. Of course there is a sizeable American contingent on site at the facility, but it remains owned and run by the Australian government."

Sam nodded understandingly at the General's words. "That's an intelligence facility isn't it sir?" She asked, not really waiting for an answer. "It is used to monitor satellite intelligence gathered from Asia and the Middle East." She indicated to the other members of SG1. "What about Uluru, sir? How do the Australian authorities feel about us taking over their most popular tourist destination?"

General Hammond chose this moment to distribute the rather thick files that he had brought into the room with him. "Well Major, that is exactly where you might encounter some political difficulties." He nodded for them to open their files. "As you can see in this information, the relationship between the Australian government and the indigenous population is not without its tensions. Uluru is officially owned by the local Aboriginal _Anangu_ tribe, after it was returned to them by the Australian government in 1985. Although these people object strongly to the idea of foreigners – including non-indigenous Australians – approaching the monolith, it was part of the agreement that they allow people to do so."

"Why don't they want anyone going near it?" Jack felt he had to cut the General off before he bored them all to death with the monotonous information.

"They believe it's a sacred site, Colonel." Jonas jumped in, leafing madly through his enormous pile of information on Aboriginal culture. "They believe the rock is actually hollow underneath, and contains an energy source called _Tjukurpa_, there since the Dreamtime." He ignored the intrigued expression on Sam's face and the raised eyebrow on Teal'c's as he continued. "Funnily enough, Tjukurpa actually can be roughly translated as the spiritual essence of a physical form or being – tying in with the theory concerning a possible naquada store."

"My God Jonas that's amazing?" Sam couldn't contain her excitement at hearing this. "I can't believe we never discovered this before!"

"Was not DanielJackson's area of expertise more centred on Egyptian mythology, MajorCarter?" Teal'c countered calmly. "It is therefore not unusual that he would not have been aware of the significance of this site."

"Right." Jonas nodded to Teal'c, before turning to Sam again. "Besides, it's been established that the Aboriginal culture is much older than Ancient Egypt – the earliest remains that have been found are thought to be 40,000 years old – well before we thought the Goa'uld were present on Earth."

"Ok!" Jack held his hands out to both Jonas and Sam in an effort to stave off another flurry of debate. "So it's a great discovery and all… what does this all mean for our mission?" He asked the question pointedly at General Hammond.

"Only that you will have to tread _very_ carefully, Colonel," the General replied gravely. "I do not want any diplomatic incidents over this – and the President has assured the Australian Prime Minister that we would do our best not to offend the native inhabitants of the Uluru region."

"Ahh… politics." Jack leant back in his chair and rolled his eyes. "Give me a hostile alien planet any day…"

General Hammond coughed to get Jack's attention again. "Yes well, we have an aeroplane waiting to take you to Australia. I suggest you read up on all the information contained within this file on your way there. The equipment and weaponry has already been transferred onto the plane." He turned to Jonas. "A Mr Douglas Goonagulla will meet you in Australia. He is the Australian expert on Indigenous Affairs and a native of the Northern Territory." Turning to Jack, he added: "He will be with Colonel Brian McGregor of the Royal Australian Air Force and Major Michael Fletcher of the US Army. You will travel with these people to the Pine Gap base and work with them – they have full clearance in this matter and are being briefed as we speak."

"Yes sir," Jack felt a slight irritation at having new people to work with on this mission. The last thing he needed was for some idiot who knew nothing of the Goa'uld to stuff everything up. He would have to find a way to keep them busy once they'd provided all the information they could.

"Well then, you're dismissed people. Godspeed." General Hammond stood and the others in the room followed suit. As they left, he reached his arm out to place his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Wait a minute Jack," he said softly. "I want a word."

"Yes sir?" Jack looked at him questioningly, his eyebrows half-way to the moon.

"I know you don't' working with outsiders Jack – don't think I didn't see that flicker of annoyance before," he grinned at the greying man standing in front of him, who was now looking decidedly sheepish. "But you're going to need these people – there are a lot of issues surrounding this site and we can't afford an incident."

"Sir, with all due respect," Jack couldn't help it, but the references to politics incensed him. "None of those _issues_ will matter if Baal lands a mothership in Australia and starts blowing the place apart looking for naquada."

"You're right Colonel," Hammond nodded, releasing Jack's arm from his grasp. "The president has all the SG-teams on high alert and on the ready for Baal's arrival. See that you get to the bottom of this mystery before he does."

"Yes sir." Jack saluted lazily before swaggering out of the room to find the others and head out of the base.

TBC

* * *

_A/N : Ok. So now we know a little bit more about the history behind this idea. I swear all that stuff about Uluru is more or less true! There's a website (that this stupid thing won't let my type out normally): "www (dot) crystalinks (dot) com (forward slash) ayersrock (dot) html" if you want more info!_

_I'll try to update as soon as possible… but in the meantime, PLEASE REVIEW! Especially if anyone has any thoughts about how the hell we're going to access the naquada stores under what is the most massive rock on Earth… there _are_ caves in Uluru… but I think that'd be too simple… _


	7. Doug

_A/N: Wow. FINALLY I get to post! I have had the most INSANE week ever, all ending this morning with an extremely important job interview. Fingers crossed for me! Thank you all for your reviews, they're much of the reason I love posting on this site – it's great to get feedback!_

_Another side note to _dietcokechic_: now that I've realised what your name means, I only JUST realised that you're the FAMOUS _dietcokechic_ of the barista series! I've only got halfway through (which is why I haven't reviewed… waiting till I'm up to date), but I'm all the more pleased that you like my fic!_

_Oh, and note to _Bookworm_: "me man, you woman, you do as I say!" hehe. You should all read "Jack's family" if you want to know what that's all about…(or just anyway, it's great)_

_This story's about to pick up the pace now that the intro has been properly done… hope you stick with it!_

**Chapter VII – Doug**

* * *

Jack thumped his head back against the uncomfortable aeroplane seat again as he wondered for the umpteenth time if they were even _remotely_ close to arriving in Australia. The seat was nice leather – the plane they were on seemed to be an old Air Force One so was pretty well equipped – but a seat on a plane is a seat on a plane… He looked around them and mused at the strangeness of all being crammed into one section of the plane. Granted it was the only area still fit for passengers to travel in – the rest of it having been gutted for god knows what machinery Sam and the General thought necessary for the mission – but it would have been nice to be housed in the Presidential suite area of an old Air Force One jet. Additionally, despite _not_ flying commercially, they'd still given him a luggage allowance of 50lbs – not that he needed that much. Must be some heavy crap flying with them. 

He felt his eyes close over again with a mix of travel weariness and boredom. The sensory loss heightened his hearing and he wasn't able to block out Jonas' droning voice any longer. Sam had spent the entire trip reading up on Australia, the machinery they would be using, and probably the cure for cancer. Teal'c had remained stoically poised in his seat of course, barring a couple of hours in Kel'nor'eem, but Jonas… Jonas had passed the time not working on aboriginal mythology, by regaling _anyone_ who would listen with inane facts about Australia. Jack mused that the kid needed to get out a lot more. The price had been listening about how Australia's population was so small… how Sydney was the biggest city but not the capital (apparently it was some speck of dust in the middle of nowhere called Canberra), how a koala was NOT a bear, and how – somewhat sadly, Jack thought – people didn't _actually_ ride kangaroos. He had now moved on to talk about the system of government. If there was one thing Jack was not going to stand for, it was unnecessary politics talk.

"So you see," Jonas was talking animatedly to Teal'c. "Although Australia is its own country, the head of state is STILL the Queen of England – I guess that makes her the Queen of Australia too." He paused, waiting for any reaction from the Jaffa, but got none. Undeterred he continued. "Of course she doesn't actually _do _anything - they've got a representative officially in charge."

Jack took his opportunity when Jonas paused for what must have been a life-saving breath to interject.

"Jonas," he said calmly, his voice betraying his actual feelings. "We don't care."

Jonas stopped still and looked around to where Jack was sitting behind him. Sam had also looked up from her reading, apparently curious as to how this exchange was going to pan out.

"I'm sorry Colonel?" Jonas asked innocently.

"We don't care about the Australian Government OR the population OR the geography, OR even about the flora and fauna! The country could be governed by a _peacock_ for all I care!" His eyes had snapped open and his hands were raised in a gesture of surrender. "I'll admit I was disappointed to hear we wouldn't be riding kangaroos, but that's where my interest dies!"

"Ok." Jonas looked at Jack carefully, wondering what this was all really about. "I just thought it might be useful to have some background knowledge…"

"Why?" Jack looked completely bemused at such a thought. "We go off world every other day knowing NOTHING about those places…"

"It would perhaps be fortuitous if we did, O'Neill." Teal'c contributed to the conversation. "We would encounter fewer difficulties."

"We've been doing _fine_." Jack grumbled, sinking back into his chair and closing his eyes, trying to block them all out and return to his numb boredom.

"Teal'c's got a point, sir." Sam had put her files down in front of her and was looking at him, although his eyes were still closed. "It might be beneficial to learn more about where we're going rather than sulking all the way there."

Jack opened his eyelids a sliver to look sideways at Sam. "_I'm _the one sulking! You've hardly said a word to any of us!"

Jonas looked from Jack to Sam and back again before standing up and shaking the stiffness out of his legs. "I'm going to walk around a bit." He avoided looking at Sam or Jack, but motioned to Teal'c instead. "Coming Teal'c? Why don't we go see how the pilots are doing, maybe they can tell us how much longer we've got…"

Teal'c didn't need to be asked twice. In one swift, silent movement he was out of his chair, moving purposefully towards the front of the plane, leaving Jack and Sam alone, glaring at each other.

* * *

Sam held Jack's glare, but couldn't help feeling an increasing sense of unease. She swallowed slowly, trying to keep it all together, but images of their conversation at his house only 24 hours ago kept flying into her head. In a sense he was right; although she hadn't been sulking, she'd _definitely_ been avoiding him. And to avoid him without raising suspicion, she just avoided talking to anyone – not that anyone should have noticed. Her favourite method of disengaging from the world around her _and_ distracting herself had always been research - the fact that she was now somewhat of a hasty expert on Aboriginal mythology and Australian culture attested to this. 

Jack's gloomy mood, however, had been blatantly obvious to everyone onboard. The poor pilots had quickly learned to leave the Colonel alone when they had begun the flight by joking about the long trip. Jack had merely glared back at them and told them to get on with it. Charming. Jonas had been doing a good job of ignoring his state of mind, not realising that his efforts to fill the silence were destined to antagonise him further. Teal'c had remained, well, Teal'c - but Sam knew that Jack would appreciate this. She'd tried to take his cue and leave the Colonel alone, but now she didn't know if it had been such a good idea. His fragile state of mind after their encounter with Baal couldn't have been substantially improved, despite his bravado on the morning they left.

Sam swallowed slowly again, and decided to take the opportunity Jonas had given them.

"Sir?"

"Carter." Jack's eyes were still half-closed, his body slumped into the chair; but the glare was there. He wasn't going to make it easy for her – he just wanted to get on with it.

"I haven't _exactly_ been sulking sir." Sam sensed the edginess in his voice, but tried to counter it with hers, keeping it steady.

"Huh. Coulda fooled me." Jack broke the glare between them and closed his eyes, shifting his head so it was rested squarely on the headrest. "What _exactly_ have you been doing then?" He mocked her language sarcastically.

"Trying not to think about the mission." Sam figured what she said was more or less true – it _was_ an aspect of the mission that she was trying not to think about: him.

"Yeah, doesn't work, eh?" Jack softened a bit, turned his head back towards her and smiled. "Jonas isn't helping with his whole encyclopaedia of knowledge…"

Sam smiled back at him, glad she'd apparently broken through the 'wall of sulkiness'. "You know he's only trying to help, um, keep your mind off… things."

Jack's eyes glazed over slightly and he looked down towards the floor. "Yeah, well… as much as I appreciate the gesture… I prefer to brood." He heard Sam take a breath in preparation to respond but cut her off. "And I don't wanna talk about it, ok Carter? I'm fine. We're fine. Let's just sit – quietly."

"Y-yes sir." Sam felt herself sink into the chair at these words. She knew things had changed after their kiss back at his house, but she hated this feeling – the feeling that an enormous wedge had been placed in between them. She turned away to look out the window, only to be greeted with yet another view of clouds a long way below them. It took her a few moments to realise he was saying her name.

"Carter? Hello?" Jack had seen her disengage from the small space as soon as he'd pushed her away with his words. He'd meant what he said, but didn't want to make her feel isolated. He saw her flinch slightly as he said her name for about the fifth time. "_Sam?_"

"Sorry sir? You were saying something?" Sam turned away from the window to look straight in front of her, consciously not meeting his eye.

"I just-" Jack suddenly faltered, but fought on. "I mean… _we're_ fine. Ok?" It was more a statement than a question.

Before Sam could answer, they heard the sound of Jonas talking very animatedly and loudly to Teal'c as the approached, supposedly to be able to announce their arrival well ahead of time. Sam again made a mental note of his impeccable tact. Just as they were coming back into the cabin, she glanced at Jack again. He was looking at her concerned, apparently oblivious to the approaching aliens. She gave him a small nod before returning her gaze to the window next to her; the clouds now appeared to be getting closer.

Jonas flopped down into his seat in front of Jack and sighed loudly, again filling the void of sound surrounding them. "Well, apparently we've just started our descent."

"It's about time." Jack muttered, his head lolling against the back of his seat. "I was starting to think we'd overshot the mark and were approaching South Africa."

* * *

Douglas Goonagulla fiddled with his security pass as he waited for the American visitors to descend from the enormous 747 that had just landed. He looked at his name and photo again with some amusement. No one had called him 'Douglas' in his entire life: it was Doug, or Dougie, or even Goonie to his friends. As he stood there fiddling with the piece of plastic hanging around his neck he wondered again if all this was really happening. Aliens, stargates, extra-terrestrial mineral ores… it all seemed so, well, science fiction to him. He'd never put great stock in any of those nutters who claimed to have been abducted by aliens, but somehow now it had all been put into a new context. Hell, apparently two of the visitors were themselves alien, although he'd been assured they at least _looked _human. 

As soon as the plane had landed, some heavy-duty trucks had positioned themselves near the rear to unload some exceedingly strange looking equipment. No person had yet emerged from the plane however. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation they were going to have: in the first place, he was going to have to explain why Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor weren't there – and that was going to take some doing.

As he fought his impulse to run away and hide underneath a rock, he saw a grey-haired man appear through the door on the side of the plane. He looked to be a hardline military type who had spent most of his life serving his country. Behind him, an impossibly large, almost frightening looking man appeared, with a more accommodating looking man standing next to him. Finally, and Doug's breath caught as he saw the fourth figure emerge, a stunningly beautiful woman with short blond hair stepped confidently out of the plane. One by one, they moved down the stairs and across the tarmac to where he was standing.

"Colonel O'Neill, I presume." Doug thrust his hand out to shake the grey-haired man's hand. "I'm Douglas Goonagulla, but everyone calls me Doug."

Doug was greeted by a grunt as the Air Force Colonel roughly shook his hand. Slightly startled by this gruff greeting, he turned to the others, looking for a cue.

"It's good to meet you Doug," Jonas reached his hand out to shake Doug's. "I'm Jonas Quinn, this is Teal'c, Major Carter and - you were right – that's Colonel O'Neill."

Sam stepped forward to take Doug's hand in greeting. "Don't worry about him, he's just jet-lagged."

"Carter, I don't need anyone making excuses for me." Jack snapped, looking around for any sign of a military presence in the greeting party, but saw none. He turned to Doug. "Jeez it's hot as hell here!" Despite the fact that it appeared to be late afternoon, the temperature had to be near 100F. "We were expecting some military types. Is there a problem?"

Doug tried not to flinch at the authoritative tone employed by Jack. Taking a deep breath, he tried to answer without his voice wavering. "Actually, Brian and Mike – I mean, Colonel. Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor – were unable to make it back to the base to welcome you."

"They went to Uluru?" Sam asked quickly, before Jack could make some blundering comment.

"Yes." The relief on Doug's face was apparent as he turned to address Sam. "As we discussed with your General Hammond, it's unrealistic to close off our biggest tourist asset during the day, so for the moment any investigation of Uluru has to take place at night, when all the tourist buses have left. Of course," he added, somewhat pensively, "it would be better if we could leave Uluru alone altogether; it _is_ a sacred site."

"We are aware of your people's discomfort with the difficult mission we have come to fulfil, DouglasGoonagulla." Teal'c inclined his head slightly in respect as he spoke. "However I am sure you have been abridged of the threat posed to not only your country but your entire world."

"Uh… yes." Doug looked warily at Teal'c, puzzled by his general demeanour. "So anyway, Bri- I mean Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor were at Uluru last night and were not able to make it back to meet you."

Jonas listened to what the man said but sensed a certain unease. He looked at his watch with puzzlement before looking back to Doug. "What time is it?"

"It's about 6pm now, Mr Quinn." Doug replied nervously.

"Call me Jonas." Jonas said absent-mindedly while deep in thought. The concern on his face was palpable. He glanced over to Sam and realised she'd made the same realisation as he had.

"Doug," Sam asked gently. "If they were at Uluru last night, why couldn't they make it here by 6pm?"

"Uh, well," Doug felt himself unconsciously shuffle away from where Jack was standing, looking increasingly tense. "We ah, we um… we lost contact with them last night. They were there with some 10 other men… and apparently they, ah… _disappeared_… ah…in a flash of light."

* * *

_A/N: Well there you go! Something to think about… where exactly have they gone? Although most of you will probably guess that, what d'you think they found there? Tune in next time to find out!_

_Let me know how you're coping with the random Aussie facts I'm putting in. I'm sorry if I ruined anyone's ideas of Australia with the kangaroo thing. And PLEASE remember that a koala is NOT, I repeat NOOOOOOOOT a bear! Common misconception... Oh, and apologies to anyone who's from Canberra... I was a bit harsh._

_Please review!_


	8. Iridescent blue

_A/N: Lovely reviews! Kind reviews! Ahhh… thank you all so much. It's the reason I write – there's no point unless I know people are reading and connecting with it – so thanks! _

_I've added a few author's notes in the main text for this one… there are a few Australian things I thought should be explained immediately (although I get from the reviews that there are quite a few Aussies reading this – I really hope I don't contradict your own experiences/knowledge)_

_Extra special mentions (cos you're all special):  
_Flatkatsi: _If Jack was going to be visiting anyone downunder, he'd be coming to my place first!  
_BookWorm37: _You're a cracker… I'll tell you that. You're half right with your guess about the light…  
_Arrant Schemata: _Ok. I'll finally admit it – I can't work it out. I'm asking…  
_Revvie: _Patience… patience…_

_Enough of this – otherwise I'll have to start posting my author's notes as separate chapters! Here we go again!_

**Chapter VIII – Iridescent blue  
**

* * *

Jack had had enough of this country, and he'd only been there for nigh-on 5 minutes. He looked at the Aboriginal man standing before him in disbelief. First, he'd been misled about how long it was going to take to get to Australia (try 20 hours, not 17). Then, he'd been misled about the climate: if it was this hot in the early evening, then it was obviously _waaaaaay_ hotter during the day – and quite definitely not 'spring', but SUMMER. And finally, after being assured of the military nature of this operation, and of the fact that _he_ would be in charge, it appeared that some cocky Aussie and his American bonehead of a contact had gone off and started the mission before _disappearing_ from the top of Australia's most visited landmark! 

"Whaddaya mean, _disappeared_!" He roared at Doug, who was now almost cowering on the spot. "WHY had they started the mission without us!" Feeling increasingly furious he started shouting at the top of his lungs, ignoring Sam's hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. "THIS IS NO JOKE! PEOPLE COULD GET KILLED! OUR PLANET IS IN DANGER AND SOME HALF-BRAINED IDIOTS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A '_GOOD IDEA_' TO HAVE A LOOK AT THE SITE WHERE WE'RE PRETTY SURE THERE'S SOME FUNKY ALIEN TECHNOLOGY!"

Jack stopped shouting and let his words sink in. His breathing heaved as he tried to catch his wind after the outburst and he let himself be calmed down by Sam, who had moved even closer to him. Doug, for his part, looked like he might faint with a mixture of fear and mortification.

"Sir, I agree they should have waited for our arrival," Sam gripped Jack's arm a little bit harder. "But none of us envisaged them discovering anything of value before we arrived with the proper instruments for the search." She didn't let her grasp of his arm relax, but thankfully felt the muscles in his forearm do so slightly at the sound of her voice. "The most important thing for now is to figure out where they've gone and _how_."

"It sounds like it might have been an Asgard device," Jonas interjected, seeing Jack was now a little more open to discussion. "We should go down there tonight and at least look at _where_ they disappeared from." He looked to Doug, who still hadn't recovered from Jack's outburst. "Can we do that? Head down to the rock straightaway?"

It took Doug a moment to realise that they were once again talking in a civilised manner. He avoided Jack's eye, as he was still glaring, and looked directly at Jonas. "Of- of course. We can all go down in my truck, or I think there's an extra one if you want more room…"

"Thank you Doug." Sam smiled at him warmly, trying to reassure the poor man who was still quivering slightly. "We'll take both trucks, I'd like to bring some of our instruments with us – they may help in locating the missing men."

Doug looked nervously from Sam to Jack, who was still glaring at him.

"I'll travel with you if that's ok Doug," Jonas piped up promptly. "I'd like to talk to you about the possible links with your mythology and what's happening here."

"I will also accompany you, DouglasGoonagulla," Teal'c bowed at him. "I am very intrigued by your culture."

Doug almost fell to his knees in gratitude as he realised that he would _not_ be spending a three-hour drive with Colonel O'Neill in the same truck. With a dizzying laugh he finally managed to pull himself together, motioning for them all to follow as they headed off the tarmac towards the sun set low in the sky.

* * *

"Great, after a 20 hour flight, three hours in a truck on a crappy dirt road was _sooooooo_ not what I needed." Jack grumbled as he and Sam sat uncomfortably in the LandRover. He sat discontededly in the corner of the car. "I feel like I should be driving.. sitting on this side of the car." 

"Yeah, it's strange to be driving on the left side of the road." Sam mused, only half listening to what Jack was saying. "I guess it really wouldn't matter out here though – it's not as if there's a lot of traffic."

"Crazy Aussies." Jack sighed, focussing on the endless red country stretching as far as the eye could see.

Now fully dusk, it was difficult to distinguish between the sky and the earth. Sure, there was a clear difference between dirt and air, but the vibrant red colour of the sand seemed to dissolve seamlessly into the fiery orange sky of sunset. Even though Jack was looking out his window to the east, the sun's strength was such that even on his side there was what seemed like a veil of orange over everything. He'd been in deserts before, hell too many, but this was almost unreal in the true sense of the word. It had an incredible calming affect on him.

Mesmerised by the scenery, it took Jack a while to realise that Sam had said something. "Sorry?" He tore his eyes away from the scene to look back towards her, squinting slightly as the sun was blaring at him from behind the silhouette of her head.

"I was saying, apparently 'Aussie' is pronounced 'ozzie', not 'ossie.' " Sam smiled at Jack who looked like he'd been miles away. "Doesn't matter." She shook her head slightly and returned her eyes to the road – not that there was any need; there hadn't been any change of direction in the road for the past hour; they were heading due south.

"You were _really _trying hard not to think about anything on the way over, huh?" Jack grinned slightly as he looked to the road ahead, the billowing dust of Doug's truck a far-off sign of life in front of them. "You actually spent part of the flight looking at some file on pronunciation!"

"Yeah I guess." Sam was smiling too, glad Jack was relaxing after landing on what had definitely been the wrong foot back at the airbase. "It was actually a whole article on language differences – Jonas found it." She looked over to see a slightly apprehensive look on Jack's face, and couldn't help but laugh out lout. "Relax sir," she was still giggling, "I won't try to impose all my new found knowledge on you."

Jack felt as if he could kiss her. He turned quickly and grabbed at her upper arm with both hands. "_Thank you!_" He exclaimed with such exaggeration that it was almost comical: his eyes were wide, his eyebrows approaching the moon… Sam stopped giggling as his features relaxed, and held his gaze for a good ten seconds. Jack suddenly realised that unless he broke the contact, he actually _would _kiss her. Coughing nervously he released her arm from his grasp and indicated for her to return her attention to the road. "Much as I'm grateful, Carter, I think I'd like to arrive in one piece."

Sam was caught unawares by his words. She'd almost sensed something in that moment. Perhaps there wasn't really a divide between them… perhaps she'd been imagining it, creating it; or had at least misjudged his reactions. She quickly turned her attention back to the road in front of her – luckily nothing had changed and the truck was still perfectly on course.

"Sure thing sir." Sam settled back into the monotonous rhythm of driving towards the billowing dust of Doug's truck; this time contended in pleasant company. Glancing sideways she saw Jack was doing the same.

* * *

"_Wow_." Jack unfolded his tortured long legs gingerly as he got out of the car. "This is the rock, then?" 

Rock was an understatement. As the small convoy of two trucks had passed over a long, gradual, ridge, the enormous phenomenon had suddenly become visible. The twilight made Uluru look almost purple as it contrasted against the deep red earth and the fading bluey-orange contradiction that was the sky.

Jonas didn't seem to have heard Jack. He, like Sam and Teal'c, was transfixed by the sight of Uluru. Only Doug had been paying attention. He looked on at the strangers with satisfaction. No matter how many times he saw Uluru, it amazed him. Beyond that, however, he loved seeing the reaction on people's faces when they saw it for the first time.

"Yeah, s'it arright…" he breathed, letting the words meld together, his wonder never abating. He had momentarily forgotten his fear of the Colonel. "Can't ya feel it's power?"

"Indeed I feel as if in the presence of something great, DouglasGoonagulla." Teal'c's eyes had widened, and the usually rigid structures of his face had softened. "I now further understand your culture's reverence for this natural wonder."

"Yeah…" Jack was uncharacteristically affected by the sight of Uluru, and was struggling to get his mind back to the task at hand. "Wow." He couldn't take his eyes off the rock, and stopped trying. "Dougie, how long before we get there?" he said, almost as if in a trance.

Doug started slightly at hearing Jack use his favourite nickname, but when he turned to look at the Colonel he saw nothing but genuine concern on his face. He ignored the apparent contradiction between this business-like man who stood next to him now, and the frazzled military hard-ass who had bounced off the plane not two and half hours earlier. Jack O'Neill just might not be that bad after all.

"It should only be about 40 minutes from here to the site where the guys are waiting for us, Colonel." Doug answered promptly.

* * *

Captain Stacey Hindmarsh had seen the approaching trucks from a long way off. The lingering light showed the billowing dust clouds emanating from both of them long before she could see the vehicles themselves. 

"Hey guys!" She threw her head back as she shouted, her frizzy brown hair flinging out in all directions, just as the trucks became audible across the silent desert, indicating they were probably only a minute or two away. "We've got company – looks like the Yanks have arrived!"

_(A/N: For Aussies, "Yank" is just a generic term for American – it doesn't have any regional connotation. It's NOT the same as saying "Yankee"… which of course is specific!)_

"I bet they're pissed off." Sergent Bruce Mayne, a likeable looking man of about thirty with light-blond hair and even features, moved next to where Stacey was standing and spoke into the evening air. "Mission's hardly started and we've already lost the two best men we had to offer."

The two trucks had come to a halt about ten metres away from where they were standing and the doors were now opening. "Hey, We didn't _lose_ them…" Stacey hissed to Bruce, "They _disappeared_…"

"In a flash of white light, right?" Jack had heard the last words out of Stacey's mouth and was already moving purposefully towards her. He saluted lazily, nodding at the welcoming committee. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, US Air Force."

Everyone who had been waiting for SG1's arrival immediately snapped to attention. As the most senior-ranked officer, Stacey spoke. "Captain Stacey Hindmarsh, sir! Royal Australian Air Force, Sir!"

Jack suppressed the urge to giggle at the formality of it all. "At ease Captain – it's good to meet you." As he continued with the introductions, he looked at the Australian officers in front of him carefully. They all looked afraid; afraid and overwhelmed. "I know how this must all seem to you guys." He addressed them once everyone had done saluting and shaking hands. "First I want to assure you I don't think anything _bad _has happened to Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor." He looked sideways at Sam who nodded for him to continue; they'd discussed possible scenarios during the long drive. "We've seen alien technology able to transport people before, and it sounds like it might be one of those cases."

"Wot, loik sumethin _beamed _'em somewhe-a!" Bruce's accent was so strong Jack could hardly make it out. "Wot is this, bloody Staa Trek!"

_(A/N: That should be my first and last attempt at transcribing an "ocker" Australian accent – it looks ridiculous. I hope you all get the idea… for Bruce, think Crocodile Hunter… for the others, think Nicole Kidman or Heath Ledger if you've ever heard them speak with their normal accents)_

"Exactly…" Jack nodded at Bruce, once he had deciphered the man's sentence. Provided they got an interpreter, he had a feeling they'd get along exceedingly well. "Well, not _exactly _like in Star Trek – no weird sound effects or miniskirts – but basically it's the same idea."

"So, where have they gone? Sir?" Stacey was finding it difficult to match Jack's relaxed stance. The pure hell of the past 20 hours – seeing the two men disappear right before their eyes, waiting in agony for the arrival of these _galactic _travellers, not to mention the threat of some hostile enemy coming to Uluru – was almost too much to bear.

"Actually," Sam spoke up, her eyes level with Stacey, who was about the same height as her. "we're hoping they've been transported to exactly where we want to go." She glanced at Doug, apologetic for the fact that they were essentially talking about violating his cultural heritage. "Our real concern is why they haven't come back."

"Is it not possible, MajorCarter," Teal'c ignored the obvious rise in tension among the Australian contingent as his low voice filled the silent vacuum of the desert, "that Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor are merely unfamiliar with such technology and therefore unable to adequately manipulate the device?"

"Teal'c's right." Jack took control of the mini-meeting that was taking place out in the open. "If you can't contact them by radio it probably means they're too far underground. We've brought some alien doohickeys that should work better."

"Um, better? Sir? You mean you're going to try and disappear like them!" Stacey's expression had gone from curious reserve to unabashed horror. "But you don't know what- You can't just-"

"Hey Stacey?" Jonas stepped forward and touched her lightly on the arm. "You need to trust us on this. We don't have any time to waste – and we need to get to this naquada. They told you about that in your briefings, right?" His voice was soft and reassuring.

Stacey found herself calming down as she realised finally that she was no longer responsible – she could hand over to the Colonel and his team. She smiled weakly at Jonas in gratitude and looked over his shoulder to Jack.

"I apologise Colonel." She said matter-of-factly, "That was out of line."

Jack merely closed his eyes and waved his hand absentmindedly in the air, as if in a brushing motion. "It's forgotten, Captain - gone." He looked at her straight in the eye, serious again. "We've all got the same concerns – hopefully they're unfounded."

Satisfied they'd all been properly introduced and reinjected with morale, Jack's thoughts turned to the mission. Turning towards Sam he realised she'd already had the same thought and was actually unloading the trucks.

"Right. I guess there'll be no sleep for us any time soon." He mused to himself before clapping his hands together and surveying the people in front of them. "Ok _mates_," he emphasised the oft-quoted Australian stereotype, glancing coyly at Sam who giggled at his use of the word. "Let's move out – we need to find out where these guys are, and _how_ they got there."

* * *

"So Carter," Jack was gasping for air as they continued to climb up the long spur of Uluru. It didn't help that he'd had to step on it catch up to Sam, who had been walking ahead of him with Jonas for the previous 20 minutes. Fit as he was, this was not the proverbial 'walk in the park'. The frequency of large clouds of air exiting his mouth with every breath against the rapidly cooling air of the desert night attested to this. "So," he continued, now that he'd properly caught up to her. "How'd I do with my use of the word 'mate' back there?" he nudged her playfully with his elbow. 

Sam smiled at the sound of his voice, but kept her concentration on the task at hand – namely _not_ falling off the path and down the increasingly steep side of Uluru to the ground, which was further and further away. It didn't help that the path was very well lit – the others having installed makeshift lighting the night before – as this meant that all around was an sinister inky blackness contrasting with the narrow passage of light they were walking/climbing along.

"You sure you want me to answer that question, sir?" She asked playfully, between laboured breaths as she kept pace with the determined Australians up ahead of them.

"On second thoughts, maybe not." Jack glanced at her quickly. "I was that wrong, huh?"

"In a word sir? Yes." Sam knew she was using a tone of voice that never would have been acceptable beforehand in her career. It probably never would be again. But then, the rapport she had with Jack O'Neill had never been like any other with a superior officer. She'd never teased a superior officer before meeting him; but then, her superior officers had never bantered so playfully with her either.

"Well, that's why I've got you brainy-types watching my six." Jack said humbly. "To tell me when I'm wrong."

Before she could react, Sam suddenly found herself much closer to Jonas than she had been before and she realised with a start that the people-train had stopped. With a jolt she lurched forward as Jack bumped into her – obviously he hadn't been concentrating as she had. She felt his hands grab onto her shoulders to stop her from falling. She let herself be pulled back towards him as he clung her to his chest, reassuring himself that she was ok.

"Shit, sorry Carter." Jack grimaced as he thrust his arms out to steady her, pulling her back against him. "Wouldn't want to lose you…" he added more softly, reluctant to let go of her now that he could feel her shoulders resting against his chest.

"You right there Major? Colonel?" The moment was lost when Bruce's not-so delicate voice roared towards them at high volume. "Thought you were gunna go A over T for a minute there!"

_(A/N: 'A over T'means 'arse over tit'… people in my family at least actually use that expression… dunno about other Aussies. Oh but we say the letters, not what they stand for)_

Jack let go of Sam so abruptly she had to fight to steady herself again. "We're fine Sergeant!" he growled back at the man, hoping they hadn't had an audience for those precious seconds leaning against each other.

"Good!" Bruce was still shouting from the other end of what appeared to be a small viewing platform on the trail. "We're here!" He added, somewhat redundantly

"Jeez Sergeant," Jack hissed as he strode passed Sam, Jonas and the others towards the Aussie larrikin. "You want the whole _country_ to hear you!"

Before Bruce could answer, Stacey intervened. Suddenly finding herself at the spot where the others had disappeared from made her extremely nervous. She'd been dreading returning to the site ever since they'd raced down the side of Uluru at full speed, the night before. Now she just wanted to leave as soon as possible. The sooner they began, the better.

"Excuse me sir," she motioned behind her to the left, Jack's right. "Right near that those rocks over there. That's where they disappeared from."

Sam immediately precipitated towards the area indicated, as did Jonas. Teal'c started to do the same but Jack stopped him.

"Whoa there T." He cautioned. "Remember what happened last time you were unexpectedly transported by an automatic Asgard device?" Jack was thinking of the time that 'Thor's Hammer' had identified Teal'c as a foe and had nearly resulted in his death, not to speak of eternal entrapment in an underground dungeon where the only way out was for the symbiote to be killed.

Teal'c didn't say anything, but merely acquiesced to Jack's concern, with a nod of the head. The remaining people stood awkwardly on the spot, not speaking, while Sam and Jonas investigated.

"Sir, there seems to be an energy output from the general area." Sam was looking puzzled, her face contorted with concentration. "But it's not uniform; there are sporadic bursts of activity from different places. Oscillating frequencies." She looked up. "I don't understand it at all."

Jonas stood up from where he had been crouched with difficulty. "There's nothing here to indicate any transportation device." He turned his palms upwards in exasperation. "No engravings, not discernible pattern or structure to the distribution of various rocks…" he turned around full circle again, looking at the ground. "There's not even a clear indication of where the transportation area begins and ends!"

"Hmpf, great." Jack had just _known _this wasn't going to be a simple mission – even without the mystery disappearance of their contacts. For one, he never liked it when Sam didn't know the answer to a problem. Strange energy readings were nothing new – but usually she knew what they were all about. He moved towards the supposed 'transportation site' and crouched down to look at what he considered to be just another collection of rocks and dirt. Absentmindedly he brushed his fingers along the ground, feeling the coarse dirt, when suddenly he felt something quiver beneath his touch, a small vibration. He stopped still, not a muscle moving in his body. The vibration stopped. Slowly, deliberately, he started to curl his fingers into his hand but as soon as he flinched the slightest amount, he felt the vibration again.

"Sir! The energy readings are becoming more coherent!" Sam's voice was excited now, and coming closer to him. "Sir I'm reading a surge in power from your vicinity, you should back off!" Her voice now harboured the signs of concern.

Jack couldn't hear her. He was intrigued by the power he seemed to have over whatever force was beneath the surface, within Uluru. Every effort he made to move away only caused vibration. With an almost psychic revelation, he decided to see what would happen if he pressed his palm into the ground.

"Sir _NO_!" Sam lunged towards him and tried to stop him just as he pushed his hand into the ground, causing it to glow an iridescent blue. It was too late.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So how's that for a cliff-hanger? Where have they gone? What will they find there? Exactly WHO has been transported? What kind of device works from contact like that? If any of you have any thoughts, I'd be interested to hear them (although _I _already know what's going to happen – you never know when I may be influenced!)_

_I'll be trying to update this as soon as possible, but have another thesis draft due in later this week – that's why I worked to get this bit out there as soon as possible (I hope you were all impressed with the fast update)!_

_Please keep up your great reviews… they make my day!_

_PS. Just a pre-emptive note to _Questionablelight_: I know, I've put in a stereotypical Aussie character when I said I wouldn't (even worse, his name is Bruce)… but I'm not using anything that I haven't used or heard myself so hopefully that'll keep everything within the realms of reality._


	9. Swirling green

_A/N: Wow I can tell when the story's picking up because of the surge in reviews! Thank you all so much for the input – it's MUCH appreciated! __A lot of people have been guessing as to where Jack's been transported to – and how… all will be revealed in good time! _

_First, a few responses:  
_Flatkatsi_: Yes I did see the Australian JAG – it was nearly as bad as that Australian helicopter pilot in Mission Impossible 2… let me know if my characters ever get that stupid!  
_Matt1969_: I actually thought about naming 'Stacey' Sheila instead – but then thought better of it. About Uluru, you're completely right, and I'm actually going to go into it in the chapter after this one._

_This chapter is dedicated to _BookWorm_ because she helped me out with some factual stuff – thank you!_

**Chapter IX – Swirling green **

* * *

Jack felt as if the full force of gravity, plus a few _million _G's, had crashed down onto him as the bright blue patch of ground touching his palm spread to envelope his entire body in a concentrated beam of energy. A roaring noise filled his ears and he reflexively closed his eyes with dizziness as he felt himself almost being pushed into the ground. When the noise abated and he felt as if his feet were no longer somehow inside his head, he opened his eyes cautiously. 

He was definitely no longer outside, halfway up Uluru in the cold desert air. Instead, as he looked around, he appeared to be in some strange cavern, about as large as the gateroom in the SGC. There didn't seem to be any sort of light source, but the iridescent blue that had engulfed first his hand and then his entire body seemed to glow off every surface in the space he found himself in, barring the four tunnels that led away from the cavern.

Even more strangely, every space of wall, except for the small patch next to which he was standing, seemed to be covered with glowing markings of numerous different languages. There was even a section of the wall which was covered with pictures, or at least pictograms – much like the cave paintings seen all over the world. He walked cautiously around the edge of the cavern, in search of anything marked in a language he knew, but found none. A patch seemed to be in Goa'uld, another looked like it might be Ancient, and he thought he recognised another as Asgard – but none of that helped, considering he couldn't actually _understand _those languages.

As he reached the end of his loop, he noticed a strange inconsistency in the ground at one of the tunnel openings. As he approached, he realised there were two lumps on the ground, about the size of two bodies. Quickening his pace, he moved towards them and knelt down, instinctively looking around for any sign of danger. What he found was not encouraging. He fossicked among the clothes scattered among the bodies to find two sets of dog tags.

"Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor, I presume," he murmured to himself. Checking their pulses quickly he sank into the ground as he realised that Major Fletcher was dead. McGregor was alive, but in bad shape and unconscious. It looked like a wild animal had tried to flay them both. Shocked by the state these two officers were in, Jack jumped to his feet and moved into the centre of the cavern, pointing his P90 in all directions, looking for the source of this destruction. He didn't see anything, but as he moved he noticed that the middle of the space wasn't as empty as it had first seemed.

His shoulder had brushed against something almost causing him to jump into the air. He whirled around and shone his flashlight in the direction of the disturbance only to see it refract through what appeared to be some kind of translucent orb, suspended in mid-air. He walked around the orb, which was about the size of a basketball, eyeing it with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. He felt the same compulsion he had felt on the outside to reach his hand out and touch it.

Transfixed by the wobbly light filtering through it, he reached out his hand to the orb. As soon as he made contact, his palm was as if fused to the smooth, spherical object. Instantly a flurry of green whirled around the room, like a hurricane around the eye of the storm, before they settled to form a giant image in the dead space above him. The distinctive shape of Uluru hovered over him before it zoomed in around his head to the spot where he and the others had been standing. An 'x' on the image marked exactly where he had transported from, and seemed to be showing him the schematic for operation of the system. Amazed, Jack found himself wondering exactly where he had transported _to_. As if reading his mind, the holographic-like image pivoted so it was a bird's eye view of the transportation site and then seemed to zoom a thousand times over, into the earth, to a depiction of the very cavern he now found himself in.

A muffled voice, sounding incredibly panicked, brought Jack out of his wondrous stupor. He snapped his hand back from the orb and the green images disappeared leaving the strange blue glow of the room. It took him a couple of seconds to realise what had happened, and a couple more to understand what the strange voice was – it was coming from his pack.

* * *

"Colonel? Sir? Do you read?" Sam sounded on the edge of complete panic as her voice pleaded through the Tok'ra communication device. 

Jack fumbled for the object out of one of the many compartments and brought it up to his mouth. "I'm here Carter." The wonder in his voice was obvious. "Well, I think I know where I am anyway, a _loooooooooong_ way underneath you guys."

On the surface, everyone had gathered around Sam, who was kneeling at the spot Jack had disappeared from, her hand pressed to the ground, trying to understand what had happened. His hand had first turned an almost electric blue, contrasting against the darkness of the night, before the bluish white light had engulfed him completely. It wasn't unlike what they'd observed of Asgard beaming, but it was definitely distinct from the technology they had encountered thus far.

Sam nearly collapsed with relief as his voice filtered into the air around them, sounding as clear as if he were standing right there. "It's good to hear your voice sir," Sam gushed into the gadget. "Have you found the others?"

"Ah… in a way." Jack's eyes darted to the corner of the room where the two bodies lay. "It looks like something attacked them. Major Fletcher's dead, and Colonel McGregor doesn't look good – he's unconscious."

Stacey emitted an anguished squeal at this news, but managed to keep herself in check as Sam motioned for them all to remain silent. The other Australian members of the contingent were looking equally shocked and spooked. Never in their life had they been in a situation anything like this, and for the most part they were currently wishing they'd never been briefed on anything to do with the Stargate programme.

"Sir, can you tell us how you transported down there?" Sam's mind had remained completely focussed on the task at hand. She was determinedly trying to replicate Jack's actions but had thus far failed to transport herself anywhere.

"You think I did this on _purpose_ Carter?" Jack's voice wailed through the gadget. "I have _no _idea how I got here. All I know is that there was this weird vibrating sensation coming from the Earth." He cast his mind back to the almost hypnotic-like trance he'd felt while crouching on Uluru. "All I did was press my palm into the ground, but I couldn't tell you where – it was like something _telling_ me to do it."

Sam looked around hopelessly. She hadn't felt anything coming from the ground, and all her instruments indicated now, was the same sporadic energy readings that had appeared before Jack's disappearance. When he'd been crouched down exactly where she was now, the readings had focussed and spiked with the bright light that engulfed him – but presently there was only confusion again.

"Sir," she said with exasperation, "You must have done something – the same thing those two men in there with you must have done…"

"Carter _I…_ _don't_… _know…_" Jack enunciated carefully. "You're the brains – not me."

Down in the cavern, Jack looked around him again. Everything was so eerie and yet he felt as if the area around him was familiar somehow. His line of sight crossed the floating orb again and he felt himself move towards it.

"There's this really cool thing down here though." He said chirpily into the communication device. "It seems kinda psychic – whatever I think about, it shows me using some floating green hologram thing." He placed his hand on it again.

"Sir I don't think you-"

"Carter I've already used it and nothing's happened." Jack snapped into the gadget before Sam could finish her sentence. "It might be the way outta here." He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to guide the device. When he opened his eyes, the swirly green was assembling into the shape of Uluru again. This time, however, when it zoomed into the rock, it didn't focus on the cavern, but moved through one of the tunnels to a smaller space where what looked to be a great big beast was sleeping. Jack gasped in shock as he saw how big the thing was. He abruptly broke contact with the orb and moved towards the pictograms on the side of the cavern.

"Hey Carter, is Doug there with you?" He came to the spot on the wall he was looking for – a picture of something that looked like bigfoot. He'd seen this before, in the caves on that planet when Baal had nearly captured them.

"Colonel?" Doug's apprehensive voice quivered through the airwaves.

"Ah Dougie." Jack exclaimed warmly. "Is it possible this Turramulli thing is actually in the cave?" The light tone of the voice belayed the increasing sense of apprehension within him.

On the surface, Sam gasped audibly as she realised the implication of what Jack was saying. If that thing, Goa'uld or not, was trapped in the cave with him, then it was probably the cause of Major Fletcher and Colonel McGregor's respective states.

Doug's hand shook as he thought about what Jack had said. "Umm. Well if the myth is true, then I _guess_ Uluru could be what was in Dreamtime Quinkin Mountain…" he swallowed with a great effort as he continued. "I guess it follows that you could be in Turramulli's cave – according to the myth he hibernates there during the winter months only to come out at the beginning of the wet season in December."

Jack let that piece of information sink in. "Right." He said grimly. "That's not _exactly_ what I wanted to hear." He paused for effect. "You're sure this isn't something _completely _different and that this scary looking beast isn't elsewhere – or at least completely fictional?" He wasn't serious, but it didn't hurt to ask anyway..

"Colonel," Jonas had grabbed the communication device from Doug's hands and was clenching it tightly. "You need to get out of there – _now_."

"Way ahead of you Jonas!" Jack had moved back to the centre of the room and touched the orb again, this time concentrating hard on the task of _leaving. _The swirling green mist formed a representation of the inside of the cavern and zoomed into the blank part of the wall next to where he had appeared. A handprint appeared briefly on the wall before disappearing.

Jack stepped back and looked to the empty patch of wall, moving over to it. He brushed his fingers against the wall and felt the same strange vibrations that had occurred on top of Uluru. Closing his eyes, he let his senses guide him until he pressed his palm flat onto the surface of the wall, and waited.

His hand turned the same iridescent blue but nothing happened. There was no sensation of gravity, or even of a lack of gravity – as he had expected. Irritated, Jack opened his eyes just as the iridescent blue spread from his arm to fill the entire room, blinding him for a moment. When the light had subsided and he could see again, he couldn't believe his eyes.

* * *

"Carter!" He exclaimed, with a strange mix of happiness and annoyance. "How'd you get here!" 

Sam was intensely disoriented. One minute she had been crouching on the ground from where Jack had disappeared, the next she'd felt an impossible weight bear down on her entire body. The shock of arriving in the cavern caused her to lose balance and she collapsed somewhat inelegantly onto the ground, blinking rapidly with confusion.

Jack pulled his hand from the wall and knelt down beside her, concerned. "Hey," he said softly, touching her shoulder. "You ok?"

It took Sam a while to realise where she was. "Uhhh… yeah, I guess." She shook herself out of her disarray and straightened her back before leaping to her feet. "Why'd you do that?"

Jack stood up and threw his hands up into the air, looking at her defensively. "You think _I _know what's going on?" He protested wildly. "I was _trying_ to get back to the surface, and instead you crash-landed right next to me!"

Sam was only half-listening to him as she took in the cavern around her. "This. Is. Amazing." Her mouth was gaping and her eyes looked like they might actually pop out of their sockets.

As they both appreciated their strange surroundings, Jonas' voice resonated through the Tok'ra gadget. "Jack? Are you there? Is everything alright?"

Jack nearly dropped the gadget he was so surprised, but managed to hold onto it and speak into it. "Yeah Jonas… Carter's fine too – thanks for asking."

"Oh thank god!" Jonas gushed, "We hoped she'd just been transported like you!"

Jack offered the gadget to Sam, who had been gesticulating wildly at him in an effort to get him to hand it over. She took it, proceeding to walk around the room as she spoke excitedly to Jonas.

"You wouldn't _believe _this!" She exclaimed. "There are writings on almost every part of the walls… The space is probably bigger than the gateroom… I don't understand most of the languages, but wait!" She stopped abruptly in front of a section. "There's a bit here in Goa'uld – I think I can make some of it out!"

As she tried to read the old dialect, her heart began to sink. "Uh sir?" She turned and motioned for Jack to approach. "It looks like this _is_ Turramulli's cave." She concentrated on the wall again. "Sorry, this is a strange dialect and I don't know all of the words – Jonas should really see this." She traced her finger over a line to reassure herself that she'd understood. "Apparently he was banished here by the Timara…"

Jack was now standing just behind Sam, leaning over her shoulder – not that anything had changed… he still couldn't read what was on the wall. "That would be the Asgard, right Carter? This is an Asgard thing?" he asked.

"I don't think so sir." Sam shook her head slowly and looked around the room again. "This is unlike anything we've ever seen of the Asgard. I'm tempted to say it's _Ancient_." She looked at the writings again. "Besides, there's reference here to a partnership of sorts… I don't think this is the work of just one race."

"Hello? Sam?" Jonas had almost been shouting into the communication device but neither Jack nor Sam had noticed, too intrigued with their discovery.

"Yes Jonas." Sam hurriedly replied. "Sorry, I got distracted – it looks like this _is_ Turramulli's cave. There are references to a banished goa'uld by that name, and a quantity of naquada which should be nearby."

"Indeed that is encouraging, MajorCarter." Teal'c had obviously taken control of the Tok'ra gadget. "Should we not now transport down to join you?"

Both Jack and Sam froze on the spot and looked at each other. It occurred to them simultaneously that they had no idea as to _how_ Sam had got there.

"Did you touch the ground? Feel some weird vibration thing?" Jack asked Sam.

She shook her head slowly, before speaking into the device again. "Um actually Teal'c, we don't even know how _I _got here."

Teal'c considered this for a moment before speaking again. "Perhaps the transportation device works in a fashion not dissimilar from goa'uld rings, and you were transported when O'Neill attempted to return to the surface due to your position."

Jack took the communication device and moved back towards the blank space on the wall, motioning for Sam to follow. "Ok T, we're gonna try this again." He barked authoritatively. "But this time everyone stand back, ok?"

Everyone on the surface recoiled from the space from whence four people had now disappeared, and waited. In the cavern, Jack brushed his fingers against the wall again and felt the vibration underneath his hand. He pulled Sam close to him, wrapping his free arm around her waist and pushed his hand into the wall, his eyes closed with concentration.

Nothing.

He there was no rushing noise in his ears, now sensation of a wind around him, not even the _thump_ of someone else landing next to him. He could still feel Sam's body pressed up against his, tense with anticipation. Cautiously, Jack opened his eyes one at a time, only to be greeted with the same eerie blue space.

"Damn." He muttered, before disengaging his arm from around Sam's waist to speak to the surface again. "I dunno what to tell you guys – it's broken or something."

Before Teal'c could respond, Jack heard a strange shuffling sound coming from one of the tunnels that branched off from the main cavern. He froze to the spot and foisted the Tok'ra gadget onto Sam, who quickly silenced it. They both stood there, completely still, for a good 30 seconds before they heard another sound, like something trying to move across the ground.

"_Turramulli?"_ Jack mouthed to Sam, who's eyes merely widened in apprehension.

Both raising their P-90s into position, Sam and Jack moved slowly and deliberately along the cave wall to the tunnel and turned the corner to see what was there. They didn't immediately see a living being, but instead saw what looked like an Asgard stasis pod. A low moan caused them to both look at the ground, shining the lights of their P-90s on a small, injured being.

It wasn't Turramulli.

Jack moved closer and knelt down beside the humanoid creature's small frame. Not human, he thought, too weird. Not Asgard either, he added mentally, not weird enough. He looked up to Sam who was still standing in the entrance to this smaller space. Apparently she recognised the being: again her eyes were wide open and her mouth gaping…

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Hahaha! I know I'm evil!  
__But basically, there's way too much to write in the rest of the scene and the chapter would be too long so I've had to split it! This is a pretty good spot cos you all _STILL _don't know what's going on (even if you think you do, I'd be impressed if you guessed it correctly).  
__Hopefully I can do a pretty fast post, as I don't have to worry about my thesis for a couple of days! _

_Please review – my motivation is your support!_

_PS, _Bookworm_: bet I scared you there for a bit when it was only jack in the cave, huh? I _WAS_ going to have them both get transported at first but then thought it'd be fun to tease you a bit! Hehehe.  
__Any ideas as to what the 'being' is? _


	10. Fodor

_A/N: I told you this would probably be a speedy update! Phew! I'm doing pretty well, considering a while ago I was only managing like once a week! __Thank you for all the reviews… it's cool to see people I don't know reviewing for the first time – I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

_Again special thanks to BookWorm, with thanks also to Arrant Schemata and Revvie-S – they all helped valiantly with some of the facts for this chapter!_

_I hope you like!_

**Chapter X – Fodor **

* * *

On the surface of Uluru, Jonas stood looking at the spot where both Sam and Jack had disappeared from. He glanced at the now silent communication device again and looked up to Teal'c. 

"You think they're alright?" he asked quietly, trying not to let the Australians hear him.

"Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill are formidable warriors," Teal'c spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, confidence resonating in his voice. "They will contact us when it is again safe to do so."

Stacey had been struggling to come to terms with the events, but now realised with a slight shock that yet again she was left as the most senior ranking officer. Squaring her shoulders in preparation for the difficult tasks ahead of them, she stepped forward to address the small congregation.

"Ok. Here's the deal." Her mind was made up. "Apparently there is something going on underneath Uluru – we need to get help, and we need it now."

"But what can we do?" Bruce interjected, looking warily at Jonas and Teal'c, who both seemed deep in thought. "No-one knows how they got down there, no-one knows how to get them back here… what's the sense in panicking the locals and tourists?"

Stacey considered this for a moment. "At the very least, we should close the trail to tourists – make up some excuse… tell the public there was an accident that requires investigation."

"That's not far from the truth, actually," Jonas mused while fishing something out of his pack. "Doug," he turned to the Aboriginal man, "Do you think it would be alright if we got some more personnel here to investigate the transportation device?"

Doug hesitated, he had been increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, but felt trapped between two cultures. "Well…" he thought of the explanations he'd have to give to the indigenous community. "Technically there's nothing to forbid access to Uluru, so there shouldn't be a real problem…" he brushed his hand through his unruly hair, "But you _do_ know that the indigenous population of this area strongly believes that no-one should climb up here? On top of that, cameras aren't very popular – so I don't know about any technology you wanna bring up." He shrugged his shoulders, demonstrating the difficulty of the situation. "I can talk to the people, but the government was hoping to avoid something that could drag on… as much as the Prime Minister values our relationship with the United States, we've got our own problems to deal with – especially when it concerns indigenous affairs."

"C'mon Dougie!" Bruce exclaimed, "There are now FOUR people trapped somewhere underneath this bloody rock – we can't just sit back and wait for 'em to reappear!"

Doug bristled at Bruce's coarse words. The two men hadn't got on particularly well right from the start – it was a matter of respect, and Doug felt that Bruce was somewhat lacking in respect towards the indigenous population of Australia.

"Bruce," there was a new, dangerous edge to his voice, "Despite what you may believe, you can't ignore the precarious situation the government must be in. Even I'm an outsider to these people – it's going to be hard enough without the army descending on Uluru as if they were trying conquering it - _again_."

Jonas' ears pricked up at this last statement. "Even you're an outsider?" he asked, "I thought you were aboriginal as well?"

"I _am _aboriginal," Doug's voice returned to its normal, even timbre, "but I'm what these guys would call a city blackfella– in their eyes I've been _westernised_, made into a quasi-whitefella… some of the elders probably even consider me a traitor to our culture." He rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the headache that had formed through sheer exhaustion. "If I don't back up their beliefs, they'll consider me just as bad as the whitefellas in Canberra." He paused, before adding: "And that's exactly what's about to happen."

"I understand your predicament, DouglasGoonagulla." Teal'c's eyes indeed seemed to portray a sense of empathy. "I am sure we are all grateful for the personal sacrifices you will be making in order to render us assistance – as we are sorry for the difficulties your government may incur from this course of action."

Stacey had been listening to the debate, all the while formulating their immediate plan. "Sergeant," she addressed Bruce, "Get on the phone to the tourism bureau and the rangers – we need to get the rock sealed off for at least the next two days." She turned to Doug next. "Doug, I know what we're asking you to do here, and I'm sorry…" she saw him nod at her in appreciation. "I need you to go and talk to the elders and appraise them of the situation. Use as much discretion as you feel is necessary – but remember, no classified info." As Doug turned to head back down the side of Uluru, she turned to Jonas and Teal'c. "I can't issue you guys with instructions, but I imagine it would be a good idea to get in contact with your General Hammond in the States – we'll need all the help we can get to figure out this transport device."

Everyone assigned their tasks, Stacey took her phone out of her vest pocket and started dialling the military base. "Sir," she spoke urgently into the phone as soon as the desk clerk had connected her to the base commander's quarters. "We've got a situation here – two of the Americans have also disappeared…" she listened briefly into the receiver. "Sir there's more… we _are_ in contact with them – they seem to be miles underground in some kind of alien structure… yes sir, _alien_… but what I was trying to say sir, apparently Major Fletcher is dead, and Colonel McGregor is badly injured." She pulled the phone away from her ear a bit as one irate general's voice boomed out of the tinny contraption. "Sir, believe me, we've been trying… no we don't know how they got there… no we have no idea how to get them out… yes sir, Sergeant Mayne is alerting them now… yes sir, I think the Americans _do _want to bring in reinforcements… yes sir, I'm aware of the political situation." She sighed in despair as she listened to the general's set of instructions. "Of course sir, I'll see you tomorrow then."

_(A/N: I know I've got them using mobile phones, but in all honesty I reckon there'd be reception out there – it IS one of our biggest tourist attractions after all, there's probably a tower somewhere… if not, let's just imagine they've all got those cumbersome satellite phones, k?)_

As she sat down on the ground and tossed the phone in front of her, Stacey saw Jonas was looking at her intently. She smiled weakly at him just as he approached and sat down next to her. He reached out a hand and touched her knee, indicating his support.

"The brass are coming down then?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Stacey sighed. "It's going to be a hellish of a couple of days…" she looked to the spot where the people had disappeared from. "You really think they're ok?" her voice hitched in her throat as she spoke, thinking about Major Fletcher's fate.

"I'm sure of it." Jonas said with such conviction that he surprised himself. "Teal'c's right – they're the best we have." All the while, he couldn't help thinking of Jack's state of mind the previous couple of days. He reminded himself forcefully that the Colonel _was_ an amazing soldier – and besides, Sam was down there with him. She'd managed to bring him back from a near crisis a couple of times in the past few days, and would be able to keep in focussed now - if he needed the help.

* * *

Back in the small cave, a long way underneath Uluru, Jack tried to support the being's head as well as he could without causing it any pain. He looked at Carter again, who looked like she'd discovered the cure for cancer. 

"Uh Carter?" he looked at her expectantly.

Sam ignored Jack, but spoke to the being instead. "Hello." She said nervously. "I'm Samantha Carter and this is Jack O'Neill – of Earth," she added, hoping to reassure the alien with these identifications. "Are you injured? I don't have much experience with Asgard physiology…" she looked briefly to the stasis pod and back to the small figure on the ground. "But I think I remember how the stasis pod works…"

As the alien moved its mouth in an effort to gain the strength to speak, Jack stood up abruptly to stand directly in front of Sam. "_Asgard_!" He exclaimed. "This is _NOT _an Asgard!" He was looking at Sam as if she had gone mad. "An _Ancient_ maybe – we don't know what they look like… Carter, we _know _what the Asgard look like – this guy doesn't look _anything_ like Thor!"

Before Sam could set Jack straight on the true identity of the body lying on the ground, a small voice broke through the silence.

"You are acquainted with Thor?" it asked quietly. "Then you are Ancients…"

Sam was just as surprised by this strange conclusion as Jack was. "Sir," she began hastily, before Jack could blow a gasket, "Don't you recognise this physiology? It really _is_ an Asgard – just one of their ancestors, like the one in stasis we saw in that lab… just think of what that could mean for their research!"

"Oh." Jack looked down to the Asgard, who was looking worse and worse. "Sorry." He turned around to look at Carter again, before whispering urgently. "But _we're_ not Ancients…"

Sam sighed with exasperation and decided to take over the situation – as Jack was clearly going to come to the wrong conclusion. They had to address one thing at a time – and for the moment the identity of the Asgard was more important than their status as Ancients. Moving passed Jack she knelt down next to the alien and spoke to him softly; Jack remained standing behind her, still tense.

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"I… I am Fodor of the Asgard." Fodor was having difficulty speaking. Sam glanced back towards Jack and motioned for him to approach.

"Ok Fodor," she tried to infuse as much softness into her voice as possible. "We're going to try to move you to the stasis pod – maybe we can treat some of your injuries."

Fodor merely closed his eyes while nodding slightly as they lifted him carefully into the pod. Sam worked carefully with the panel on the side of the stasis pod, trying not to do anything that would adversely affect the alien. She noticed his breathing had become less laboured and he seemed to be more alert than before. Satisfied she had done what she could for the moment, she leant in to speak to him before.

"Can you tell us where we are?" she motioned around the room. "Why do you think we're Ancients?"

Fodor looked at Sam and Jack, confused. He couldn't understand who these people were or why they were asking such bizarre questions. "Only the Ancients can access the transportation stream… you must be Ancients, or you would not be here."

Sam flinched with intrigue as she heard these words. She looked to Jack, who was now standing right next to her, looking just as clueless as she.

"I'm _not_ Ancient." Jack emphasised redundantly, his eyes wide.

"No, but…" Sam was deep in thought, a hypothesis forming in her mind. "Thor _did _say that you represented a significant evolution in human physiology, right? Maybe the difference in your genomic structure has allowed you to use the Ancient device?" She widened the scope of her theory slightly. "Maybe either Fletcher or McGregor have the same evolutionary trait and that's how _they _got here…"

"No… only the Ancients may access…."

Sam realised Fodor was becoming distressed and moved to try and make him more comfortable. After a couple of minutes, he was calm again, and seemed able to answer their questions. "Fodor," she tried again, this time choosing to ignore the 'Ancient' issue, "Can you tell us what the purpose of this underground base is?"

Fodor looked at her, still confused, but answered anyway. "This is where Turramulli is imprisoned." He spoke slowly, deliberately, as if reciting a well-practiced speech. "Many years ago a new race of parasitic beings called the Goa'uld started infecting different species…. First the Unas, then the Yowies, before they discovered humans…"

_(A/N: A Yowie is like bigfoot…)_

"Is Turramulli a Goa'uld?" Jack interjected, sensing the danger of their situation.

"Yes." Fodor nodded slowly. "He is the last of the Yowies to have been infected… but he is… _different_." Fodor gasped slightly in pain, but continued nonetheless. "He destroyed many worlds – annihilating the animal and plant life – he can ingest almost any organic material… he was imprisoned here by agreement of the Asgard and Ancient councils to prevent him from causing any more carnage. I am the guard, to make sure he doesn't get out – the only way he could, would be for an Ancient to transport him out."

Sam tried to comprehend everything she was being told, but there was just too much new information for it to make complete sense immediately. "How was Turramulli different?" she pushed on with the questions.

"Why didn't you just kill the bastard?" Jack added, causing Sam to turn and glare at him reproachfully for a brief instant.

Fodor again hestitated before answering. The fact that these two Ancients, like the other two, knew nothing of the cave perturbed him. He pushed the doubts out of his mind as he remembered that they knew Thor – hopefully as an ally. He continued: "Turramulli possesses a unique quality that none of his brethren had – he is capable of an advanced form of hibernation where his entire body is transformed to an impervious mass. There is no _way _of killing him," Fodor looked meaningfully at Jack, "and that is why we were forced to imprison him instead."

"Wouldn't he _starve_ to death?" Jack had the distinct feeling that these old Asgards had somehow missed the obvious.

Fodor just shook his head wearily. "He is capable of hibernating almost indefinitely. Until this day, he had not awoken once since our arrival here."

"Until _THIS _day!" Jack suddenly whirled around, pointing his P-90 back towards the cavern, as if he would suddenly see Turramulli, about to pounce on him. As before, there was nothing except the soothing blue haze covering the walls, illuminating the underground structure.

His heart was pounding and he could feel the blood rushing about his ears. Seeing that there was no immediate threat, he forced himself to calm down and move back towards Sam and Fodor. Glancing at Sam briefly, he saw the concern in her eyes and just nodded curtly, annoyed at himself for overreacting. He felt her fingers brush against his forearm in solidarity, and was grateful for the warm touch and sense of calm it imbued him with.

"Yes." Fodor coughed slightly, wincing in pain again. "The two ancients that came before you. They awakened him and lowered the force-shield around his cell with the orbital control device – I had to try to stop them… There had been no agreement to move the Goa'uld."

Sam's eyes widened. "You mean, _you_-"

Fodor shook his head quickly, ignoring the pain it caused him. "No, I did not harm them. They shot at me with some kind of projectile weapon when I tried to speak to them…" Fodor's eyes suddenly looked as if haunted, as he remembered what had happened. "Then I heard him. I heard Turramulli. I heard him rip those men to pieces…" he looked sadly into Sam's eyes. "I only had enough time to activate my own protective shield… I could not save them." He paused, again wary. "They were of the same group as you?"

"Yeah." Sam said quietly. "But they didn't come here to release Turramulli!" She added hastily. "They came here completely by accident – they can't have known what they were doing…" Sam thought about the situation for a moment. The two men must have transported completely by accident and then inadvertently awoken and freed Turramulli. They knew nothing of the Asgard… it was entirely possible they'd shot him, thinking to ask questions later.

"Ah." Fodor's eyes glazed over. "Then I am sorry." He craned his neck slightly to look to the archway where Jack was now standing, as if on guard for the monster. "If you were able to penetrate this chamber, it must mean my force-shield has malfunctioned. You are Ancient – you must return to the orbital sphere in the main cavern and contain Turramulli wherever he is before he returns! He will not make the same mistake he did with the other two – he will attempt to force you to transport him out of here."

Before Jack could protest – yet again – that he was _not_ Ancient; and that anyway he didn't know _how_ to get out of there, a strange noise filled the corridor behind them.

_Wonk._

_Wonk. _

_Wonk. _

Fodor's eyes widened and, his pain forgotten, he sat up in the pod in panic. "Quickly!" he hissed. "It is Turramulli! There is no defence or escape! You must get to the cavern and activate the shield!"

"Not without you!" Sam insisted, and she and Jack lifted Fodor out of the pod and started moving quickly away from the sound of the approaching monster towards the main cavern.

Behind them, the eerie wonking noise grew ever louder. Sam and Jack placed Fodor on the ground near the centre of the cavern. Sam moved to drag Fletcher and McGregor's limp bodies towards them as Jack moved towards the orb. He looked around to Fodor quickly, as if to ask what to do, but the Asgard's injuries had caused him to lose consciousness. Concentrating as hard as he possibly could on keeping Turramulli _out_, he wrapped both his hands around the orb and hoped for the best.

* * *

_A/N: I really don't usually do all this cliff-hanger business… it's just that this is how the story goes! For those waiting for it – never fear, the S/J factor will reappear! _

_In the meantime, congratulations to Revvie, who correctly_ _guessed that the creature was an Asgard ancestor – I was really impressed! Sorry Bookworm, you were _nearly _right, see? Just that little twist of him being _kinda_ Asgard instead Asgard as we know them._

_In terms of the name 'Fodor', I really hope it's not a swear word or something in another language. I just made it up. I figured since 'Thor' is the god of thunder, I'd make this Asgard the god of lightening. In French, the word for lightening is 'foudre' (interestingly, also one of the many translations of the English word f--k), so I just kinda mangled that so it seemed Asgard-y. _

_Now I want to clarify something so that I don't get people shouting at me: I've considered this whole Ancient gene thing carefully, and with advice from some trusted sources (who know who they are), I'm pretty sure that at this stage (season 6), they didn't actually _know _about the Ancient gene, and wouldn't piece it together until season 7. That's why I'm having Carter come up with the evolution hypothesis… of course, _WE _all know that it's because of the Ancient gene, right? First and only time Sam Carter will _ever _be wrong (and even then, she's kinda right – she says it's a genomic anomaly that Jack must share with the Ancients…)_

_One last thing, the 'wonk, wonk' noise is from the actual Turramulli myth… it's the same noise that the bullfrogs up in Cape York apparently make… apparently they are a reminder for people to always be vigilant._

_Ok. This is the longest author's note EVER – it's ending here… but PLEASE review! I love getting them… and I'm going to need encouragement this weekend because I'm working 8 hour shifts on both Saturday _and_ Sunday (sniff)!_


	11. Shimmering aqua

_A/N: Hello all! I've successfully survived my weekend and now feel like I could do with another! But alas, I'm back at uni… oh well, at least it means I can update! Thanks to all those who reviewed… I get the feeling there are people reading without reviewing, which I understand… but please don't be shy!_

_Special mention to _Ildi_ from Hungary, who tells me that "fodor" in Hungarian means "curl" or "flounce"… dunno what you want to make of that! Oh and _Lise_: there are actually two words for lightning in French, _éclair_ being one of them. So you were right. When you say '_éclair'_ though, it's like "I see lightning", whereas '_foudre'_ is more active, violent – as in "a bolt of lightning."  
__Another few comments:  
_Flatkatsi: _I know what you mean, but try to imagine a SCARY Yowie, k?  
_BookWorm: _Alright, you were "mostly" right… if you say so – hehe  
_Everyone else: _Thanks for the support! Please keep reviewing!_

_Before continuing I just want to pause for a moment to remember those who died in 9/11, and all those who have died since in the various conflicts that have ensued (right or wrong – I'm not going to start a political conversation). No matter what, terrorism is a barbaric practice and I empathise with anyone directly affected._

_Ok. Here's the next part… I'm keeping with the colour themes where appropriate, so the title is:_

**Chapter XI – Shimmering aqua**

* * *

As before, a great mist of swirling green circled above Jack's head as he clutched the orb. Trying to ignore the approaching goa'uld monster, he concentrated, imagining a great shield to protect the great cavern. Just as he was about to give up and aim his P-90 at the approaching monster, a powerful sense of control empowered him. He felt as if possessed by the power of the cavern as his arms were imbued with strength. Opening his eyes determinedly, he thrust his head backward and looked straight up to where the green mist was still swirling around like a hurricane. 

"Sir!" Sam's voice filtered through, but only just. "You need to do something now!"

Sam had watched Jack with a mix of unbridled fear and anticipation. The power of the alien cave was like nothing they had seen before, and _had _to be Ancient. As she saw Jack become more and more focussed on the orb and the power that lay within it, Sam couldn't forget about that time he'd downloaded the Ancient's repository of knowledge into his brain and nearly died. She looked on anxiously, hoping that scenario wouldn't repeat itself.

There was a noticeable change in Jack's body language, just as the towering figure of Turramulli appeared in one of the tunnels approaching the cavern. Sam saw Jack's eyes snap open and look straight up above him towards the ceiling. There was such a concentration in his eyes she wondered if it was him, or the alien technology, in control. Whatever the case, it seemed something was happening.

The disturbing green misty hurricane that had been swirling above them condensed into a central mass directly above the orb, before spreading out to slowly cover the walls and openings, the colour mixing with the iridescent blue of the walls to create a shimmering aquamarine curtain.

As Sam watched this spectacle, she realised it wasn't going to happen fast enough. Turramulli was upon them, and had entered the cavern, bending slightly to avoid the descending shield. She stood upright, placed herself between the monster and the three other people in the cavern, squared her stance, and pointed her P-90 right at the goa'uld. She shot at Turramulli repeatedly, but nothing seemed to have an effect on him. Sure, he had stopped walking towards her, but that was only to look on in amusement as the bullets she fired at him seemed to fuse with his body, causing no harm whatsoever.

"You are but providing me with sustenance and energy, _human_." Turramulli growled in a voice that, although unmistakably goa'uld, seemed to rumble at the same timbre as the sound of thunder itself. Sam felt herself shiver uncontrollably in the face of the situation, but kept firing at him.

"Sir!" she shouted to Jack who, hopefully, was in a position to understand her. She chanced a glance around at him and saw that he was still grasping the orb, as if possessed.

In the moment she had looked away, Turramulli had lunged at her with amazing speed and knocked her to the ground, only to pick her up by the foot, holding her up so her face was level with his.

"You _WILL_ allow me to leave!" the supercharged goa'uld roared right into Sam's ear. She couldn't do anything but hang there, hoping Jack would find a way to counter the beast.

Jack had still been staring at the centre of the ceiling when Sam had called out to him. Now, however, he was looking straight at Turramulli holding Sam as if infused with an enormous rage, a rage that encompassed his entire body. Channelling the emotion within him he felt a build up of power within the orb, before an intense, bright, red light shot out of the orb hitting Turramulli squarely on the chest. Causing him to drop his prey. Unlike the bullets Sam had been firing at the monster, this beam didn't fuse with his body, but seemed to push him backwards.

At being shot by this light, Turramulli's skin had solidified at the site of impact as if it were a protective armour. But he was unable to struggle against the intense power of the red missile which propelled him backwards through the archway, which had momentarily been liberated of its protective shield, and into the tunnel. As soon as he had passed through the archway and the shield had redescended, Jack's hands disengaged limply from the orb and he stumbled to the ground before crawling to where Sam was lying on the ground.

* * *

As Jack had taken his hands off the orb and looked around him in wonder, he didn't fully understand what had happened. He saw Sam lying limply on the ground, a nasty gash on her right temple from her impact with the ground seeping blood onto the dirt. He struggled over to where she was and turned her onto her back, cradling her head in his lap, willing her to wake up. 

"Carter!" he whispered urgently. "Wake up Carter!" He shook her shoulders slightly to try and pull her out of her unconsciousness. "Carter don't make me order you!" Although he tried to sound scolding, the fear in his voice was obvious, and it nearly cracked on the last word.

He looked around him helplessly. Fodor was unconscious, two other bodies lay next to him, either unconscious or dead, Turramulli was roaring behind the now reconstituted shield about how he would make them pay for their 'insolence' – although thankfully his voice was muffled considerably by the aquamarine barrier between them – and Carter… well Carter wasn't awake.

"C'mon Sam," he was pleading now. "Wake up – I can't get us out of here without you!"

"That's not true," a small voice filtered through the air to his ears and Jack hoped fervently that he hadn't imagined it. "You're not _really _as hopeless as you make out."

"Carter?" he asked hesitantly.

"Ugh.. present." Sam slowly opened her eyes and moved to sit up until a sharp pain in her forehead forced her to abandon the idea. She settled back into the position she was and looked up to see Jack's concerned face above watching her every move.

"Turramulli?" She wasn't capable of forming longer sentences – her response to his initial appeal had taken enough effort as it was.

"Not in here." Jack glanced up at the monster who was now pacing in the tunnel like a tiger on the prowl. He absentmindedly stroked Sam's hair to reassure himself that she was ok, before looking at her again. "You ok?"

Sam was swiftly regaining control of the situation and made a concerted effort to sit up – slowly. This achieved, she looked around her in wonder. The change in the atmosphere in the cavern gave it a completely new feel. No longer was it dark and eerily soothing, it was now a bright, harsh, fluorescent aqua. Despite the fact that the colour itself wasn't unpleasant, the sheer intensity of it filled the cavern with a sense of danger. She surveyed the entire space and saw Turramulli on the other side of the archway directly in front of her, looking angry, but unfazed by their encounter. He seemed to be plotting something, looking intently at them has he paced back and forth from left to right.

Continuing her survey of the cavern, she saw Jack looking at her expectantly. "What? Oh yeah. I'll live." She said quickly. He almost sank into the ground in relief at her words, before pulling himself upright and standing up with considerable effort.

"So Carter," Jack was moving slowly around the side of the cave, marvelling at the new atmosphere around them. "What now?"

* * *

General Hammond sat in his office, stunned at what Jonas was telling him. He reflected that Jack and Sam being trapped under one of the world's greatest natural wonders shouldn't strike him as being _that_ strange – considering their usual line of work. Nonetheless, he was finding it difficult to believe that on Earth, there could be something quite as, well, _alien_ as an apparently weapons cache with a suspected goa'uld trapped inside. 

"So you still haven't heard from them Jonas?" he asked carefully, trying to reassure himself that Jack O'Neill could get himself out of anything – especially if Sam Carter was with him.

"No sir," Jonas' voice sounded amazingly clear, considering he was calling using a mobile phone from the other end of the world. General Hammond wondered absentmindedly how many satellites the signal was bouncing off to reach him. "But the main problem is that they don't know how to get _out _of the cave – or even how they got _in_. The Australians have agreed to close Uluru off to the public for at least the next two days while we sort it out, and Mr Goonagulla is talking to the elders of the Anangu tribe now to negotiate the addition of more personnel and some technology to our group up here."

Hammond rested his elbow against the hard desk in front of him and used his hand to support his head. It was early only mid-afternoon where he was and already he was tired – too tired. He couldn't imagine how SG-1 must be feeling… it had to be the middle of the night where they were.

"Thank you Jonas," he said sincerely. "I appreciate the care you're taking to liaise not only with the Australian government but with the indigenous community as well. Their Prime Minister was adamant that we treat carefully and not inflame an already delicate situation."

Just as General Hammond was about the wrap up the conversation and continue with his afternoon meetings, the well-known sirens of an unauthorised off-world activation sounded. Telling Jonas to stay on the line, he raced down to the control room to see what was going on.

"Receiving the Tok'ra IDC sir!" The sergeant clipped in a professional manner, "Opening the iris."

As he did so, General Hammond moved downstairs and into the gateroom to await whomever the new arrival would be. He wasn't surprised when he saw Jacob Carter walk through the wormhole. However, the troubled look on the older General's face gave him great cause for concern.

"Jacob, what's the problem?" Hammond said quickly, not even expressing his usual welcome.

"I regret to inform you, General Hammond," it was Selmak who spoke, and not Jacob. "there is the distinct possibility that Baal is currently on his way to earth in search of a mythical cache of weapons."

General Hammond nearly laughed at what Selmak had said, so relieved was he that there was no other serious problem that they had to face at the moment. Selmak and Jacob obviously perceived the relieved look on Hammond's face, and were puzzled by it, as it was Jacob who spoke next.

"George?" he asked carefully, not daring to actually voice the question, but demanding answers with his eyes.

"Jacob," General Hammond began, as he motioned for them both to move upstairs to his office. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate the Tok'ra taking the time to warn us, but for once we were already aware of the danger – we even know exactly where the cache is and SG-1 is already there."

Jacob stopped short at the door of General Hammonds office as he had said this. The latter sat down easily in his chair and picked up the phone. "It's ok Jonas," he said with a smile on his face. "It was only the Tok'ra warning us about Baal… yeah I know… yeah it is Jacob… ok, I'll be sure to tell him. Yes I'm sure he gives his love to Sam." He ignored Jacob's efforts to reach the phone and talk to his daughter. "Keep me posted son, and tell the Australian commander not to hesitate to call me if need be – anytime."

Jacob flopped down into the chair in front of the desk with a discontented 'humpf' noise. He didn't know why George hadn't let him speak to Sam, and was more than a little annoyed at the lack of gratitude for the fact that he had convinced the Tok'ra to allow him to come and warn the people of Earth about Baal's planned visit to their shores. Suddenly, something George had said filtered through to his mind and startled him.

"Did you say _Australia_?" his eyebrows raised in question. "Is that where the weapons cache is?"

General Hammond sighed, wondering how many more times he'd have to explain the situation to what seemed like anyone and everyone. "We don't think it's a weapons cache," he began patiently, "However there is much evidence to suggest a large quantity of naquada hidden under Uluru in Australia, we think by the Asgard."

"And you think that's where Baal's going?" Jacob mused, almost to himself.

"We _know _that's where Baal's going." General Hammond corrected. "SG-1 discovered a series of instructions of a cave walll off-world which gives instructions as to where the cache existed – in Turramulli's cave on Uluru."

The commander of the SGC wasn't prepared for the reaction Jacob would have to the last thing he had said. In a move that was very strange for a Tok'ra, who usually managed to keep good control of their cool in even the most dire situation. The colour drained from Jacob's face as he heard the word 'Turramulli'. He dipped his head so it would be Selmak who spoke.

"Turramulli is a legend among the goa'uld." He began slowly, looking intensely serious. "It is rumoured he was a goa'uld so powerful that not even the Ancients could dispense of him. Instead, they supposedly banished him to an underground cave protected by the most advanced technology they possessed at the time." Selmak's head dipped down and Jacob returned to control. "George," he stressed, now extremely concerned for his daughter's, and indeed his world's, safety. "They're not actually _inside_ the caves are they? There's a reason they've remained hidden for so many years – the most dangerous of all goa'ulds is trapped down there… and if they go in, they might be trapped with him."

One look at George's face told Jacob all he needed to know. Standing quickly, he marched down towards the control room and ordered the sergeant to start dialling the gate. As he perceived General Hammond behind him, he turned to speak quickly. "I'm going to see if I can organise any help." He was moving towards the gateroom now. "I don't know how they got into the cave – no one is supposed to be able to get in or out – but I'll do my best to find a solution."

* * *

Sam was still sitting on the ground and made no attempt to stand up, she felt her head tenderly to check it had stopped bleeding, and looked to where Jack was pacing, in front of Turramulli. She looked closer at the monster through the protective shield and tried to make sense of everything in her mind. The strength and resistance of the goa'uld was unlike anything they'd ever seen – even the Unas' regenerative power had its limits. 

The way Turramulli had reacted to being shot had been unique. He had seemed to _absorb _the bullets, and when confronted with an energy weapon, a sort of shield had appeared. He wasn't immune to the propelling force of the weapon, but it could not penetrate through to his skin. Sam began to understand the problem that Asgard and Ancients must have faced – still _do_ face. Now, the problem was much more acute – they needed to figure out a way to leave the cavern; and their best chance of help was currently unconscious.

Reaching into one of the many pockets in her vest, Sam searched for the Tok'ra communication device, hoping it hadn't been damaged during her mid-air suspension at the hands of Turramulli. Finding it finally she pulled it out and attempted to contact the surface.

"Jonas? Teal'c? Do you read?" she paused, looking at Jack, who was standing near the wall, moving his hand up and down in the air, watching the shield strengthen at the close proximity.

After what seemed like much longer than it was waiting in silence, she heard Jonas' voice project through the small device.

"Sam! Are you ok? What's going on!" His voice was urgent and happy at the same time, obviously relieved to hear the sound o her voice after such a long silence.

Upon hearing Jonas' voice, Jack moved towards Sam and silently asked for the communication device, which she handed over to him.

"Ok Jonas listen up!" he barked into it. "We have one mother of a go'auld monster down here, as well as an unconscious prehistoric Asgard." He paused, looking around him. "For the moment we're safe – we've got this shield protecting us from Turramulli, but we're absolutely no closer to getting out of here."

The next voice to filter through the communication device wasn't Jonas', but Stacey's instead. "Sir, this is Captain Hindmarsh." She began, her voice as professional as ever – much like Sam's, Jack mused to himself. "Sir, the rock has been closed off to the public and will remain so for at least the next two days. We've got reinforcements coming from the base and some of your own personnel with their gadgets are arriving even as we speak to try and figure out how this transport thing works."

"Thank you Captain," Jack was relieved to have someone competent on the topside of the rock. "In the meantime, stay away from the area we 'beamed' out of – I might try a few things."

Jack didn't hear whatever it was that Stacey said because suddenly the cavern had been filled with Sam's urgent voice.

"NO!" the force of her voice stunned him, and he looked at her expectantly. "Sir," she began, calmer this time, "You don't know how any of this technology works." She was looking straight at Turramulli, who had been watching them intently throughout all this time. "If you tried to transport out, you might not only fail, but inadvertently break the shield and let him back in!"

"So what, we just _wait _here!" Jack looked like he was going to be sick at the thought of just doing _nothing_ when there was obviously so much that needed to be done.

"Yes sir." Sam sighed, aware that it was not going to be easy to wait with the monster glaring at them all the time. "At least until Fodor regains consciousness to help us." She glanced towards the Asgard and prayed that that would actually happen.

Jack sighed, realising that, as usual, Sam was probably right. He brought the communication device back to his mouth to speak to those on the surface. "Actually Captain, Carter thinks it might be dangerous for me to try anything at the moment." He was suddenly feeling incredibly tired, which was not surprising considering their travel and activities of the last 30 hours. "Apparently we're just going to sit tight for a bit, hoping this Asgard guy Fodor wakes up soon. Can you let us know of any developments?"

It was Jonas who answered. "Sure thing Colonel – we've actually just been speaking to General Hammond." He paused, wondering what Jack's reaction to the Tok'ra's visit would be. "Major Carter's father was just at the SGC – apparently the Tok'ra just learnt that Baal might be heading our way and thought to warn us."

Jack rolled his eyes at that news before responding to Jonas. "Figures. They actually choose to share something with us and it's the _one time_ that we _already _knew!" He sat down on the ground next to Carter, who was smiling at his comment, and rested his arms loosely on his knees. "Jonas, we're going to try and get some rest before Fodor wakes up – you should try and do the same while everyone's getting to your position. It's going to be a long couple of days."

After saying goodbye to Jonas, Jack set the communication device on the ground next to him and looked to Sam, who seemed to be exhausted. "You should lie down, Carter," he said softly. "I'll keep an eye on Mr Hairy-Pillock over there." He said, nodding in Turramulli's direction.

_(A/N: I don't know if anyone else knows the expression 'hairy pillock'… it's what we say in my family to describe men who are particularly hirsute…)_

As Jack and Sam sat in silence, trying to ignore the persistent growling noises coming from Turramulli, an Australian scientist was looking towards the stars with his telescope over a thousand miles away.

What he saw was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Suddenly, to the left of Jupiter, there was a flash of light before a small object appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He watched it intently for a couple of minutes before realising that it was headed towards Earth.

With shaking hands, he reached for the telephone.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So there you go! They're safe for the moment, but the stage is set for much action to come. Also, for those of you who haven't figured it out… "resting" is a great time for "talking"… so all those people wondering what's going on with the Sam/Jack should tune in next time!_

_In terms of the greater plot, I've got an outline of what's going to happen, but if anyone's got any ideas I'd be interested to hear them… I like to see where people think I could go with this._

_I've said it before, and I'll say it again – please review! But most of all, enjoy your day!_


	12. A few precious moments

_A/N: Hmmm. Ok. Two posts in one day. I've been at uni since 7am. It's now 3.15 and I've got class in an hour. Have I been STUDYING all day? Why no, of course not! After posting the last chapter I just HAD to get this bit down as well! It's a bit shorter than usual as it's only one scene, but I think it works best all by itself._

_Thanks to those quick off the mark who managed to review since I posted, oh, 6 hours ago! I was mighty impressed to get four – especially considering it's the "wee hours of the morning" in most of the world._

_Anyone who is reading this fic for the 'action/adventure' tag can probably skip over this chapter… everyone else – enjoy!_

**Chapter XII – A few precious moments**

* * *

"Carter, you really _should _rest." Jack repeated, slightly irritated at her unwillingness to relax. 

"Same goes for you, sir." Sam replied tiredly. She had acquiesced to his suggestion that she lie down and her head was now resting quite comfortably on his leg. Her eyes, however, would not close. She was in a state of alert and she knew he could feel it – but then, the goa'uld on the other side of the shield hardly provided them with a calm environment.

"I'm resting…" Jack protested quietly. "I'm just thinking."

Sam giggled slightly, craning her neck to look up at her CO's face. "Sir, those two actions don't go in the same sentence in your case."

Jack smiled at her words, but kept his eyes fixed ahead of him, locked in a stare with Turramulli. "Yeah well, you haven't been fiddling around with mystical Ancient technology – it breeds thought, _even_ in my case."

Sam thought about what he said and realised how strange the situation must be for him. At least when he had the Ancient's repository of knowledge downloaded in his head, there was a separation of his mind and the Ancient knowledge – he was never conscious of why he did things or what he said. This time, however, there was a concerted interaction between his conscious mind and the technology surrounding them.

"Do you know how you did it?" She asked quietly.

Jack thought about Sam's question carefully. In truth, although he would probably say he had no idea what was going on to anyone else, it was clear to him that there was some logic to the way the technology worked. In spite of his accidental 'arrival' in the cavern, manipulating the orb seemed to be a matter for concentration. Teal'c would probably be much better at it, he mused, what with all the experience in meditation. He thought back to the moment where Turramulli had been upon him. It had taken an effort unlike any other to make the shield descend, but then the red light that had shot out at Turramulli had appeared without him even having to think it. Weird.

"Not really," he spoke quietly, trying to make sure that Turramulli wouldn't hear anything they said. "It seems to be kind of psychic, but then sometimes it works better than others." He indicated to the strange aqua colour that enveloped the cavern. "I didn't think I was going to be able to get the shield to work, but then when he had you mid-air like that…" Jack's voice trailed away as he suddenly realised why he had been able to shoot at the goa'uld with such ease.

"What?" Sam had been watching Jack's face carefully and had noticed the sudden revelation that seemed to relax his features as he stopped speaking. It was swiftly followed by a look mixed with confusion and fear. His jaw clenched slightly and she saw his brow furrow.

Jack took his eyes off Turramulli and looked down to Sam, who was waiting for a response. He didn't want to admit what he had just realised. That in fact it was because of Sam that he had been able to control the device so much better to shoot at Turramulli. The fact that his emotions could have some bearing on the operation of the Ancient orb was not something that filled him with hope. He'd never had the best control of his emotions… usually there was a mask covering his face there was actually barely-contained mayhem wreaking havoc in his psyche.

"Emotion." He stated simply, softly, dipping his head down. "When I was trying to make the shield happen, I was focussed – I knew what had to be done and I was trying my damned best to do it, but it was without any feeling – I was just being a soldier." He looked at her, his head still hanging limply, chin resting on his chest. "When I was trying to get him to let you go…" he swallowed hard as he remembered the fear that had enveloped him at seeing Turramulli lift Sam up as if she were a feather. "When he had you up in the air like that… I was angry… furious… and…" he paused, looking for inspiration.

"Scared?" Sam suggested tentatively, knowing how hard this must be for him.

"Petrified." He whispered. Jack couldn't hold her gaze any longer and looked away, afraid of what Sam might see if she kept looking into his eyes.

"If it's any consolation," she said softly, injecting a smidge of humour into her voice. _(A/N: I can't believe I just used the word 'smidge'!)_ "I'm not exactly feeling fearless right now."

Jack looked down and saw Sam eying Turramulli carefully, the fear obvious through her body-language. He placed a protective hand on her shoulder, rubbing it slightly in an effort to comfort her.

"As you saw earlier, Carter, I'm not going to let anything happen to you – or any of us for that matter. I didn't come back just to lose you." As the words left his mouth, Jack immediately regretted having said them. There was no way she was going to let it go.

"Come back?" Sam asked carefully, wondering if he was going to answer or not.

"Yeah." Jack let his head hang limply again and brushed his free hand through his hair, trying to reinforce his fast-waning strength. "You know Daniel tried to make me ascend when I was… when I was…" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"With Baal?" Sam asked in a small voice, shocked by what she was hearing. "You mean, you were going to-?"

"Yeah… but you know me," Jack tried for a smile, but the corners of his mouth only twitched slightly, "I'm not that _enlightened_." He peeked at Sam but saw she wasn't buying his quip. He took a deep breath before finally telling her what had really happened. "I didn't want to leave – I couldn't _release my burden_ as Daniel phrased it." He forced himself to look into Sam's eyes, despite the sheer terror that was threatening to cause him to explode. "I couldn't leave _you_." He let those words sit in the stillness of the cavern for a few seconds before snapping his head back up to look at Turramulli. "Besides," his voice had now returned to its normal strength – he was trying to move on. "The new season of The Simpsons was about to start…"

Sam smiled at his attempt at humour, but reached her arm up to clasp his shoulder. Jack looked down and saw the unshed tears in her eyes. Not for the first time since his return from Baal's little shop of horrors, he asked himself again why he had been denying his feelings for her for so long. Their need to maintain a viable working relationship _was_ important, but the possibility of never seeing her again, of leaving her, had made him realise how lost he would be if _she_ disappeared from _his_ life.

"I'm glad you chose to stay." She said quietly, her hand still clutching his arm, now more as a reassurance to herself that he was really there. "I don't know how I would have coped… first Daniel-" Sam almost choked upon saying the name of their now-absent friend, "-and then it looked like we had lost you, like _I_ had lost you… to the virus, to Baal." She pressed her eyes shut in an attempt to keep control of her emotions. "I'm just so glad you're still here…" she managed to choke out before Jack lifted her gingerly off the ground so she was sitting at a right angle to him. He then enveloped her in a tight hug.

Jack buried his face into Sam's shoulder as he realised properly for the first time that everything was going to be ok. He almost laughed at the thought – considering their current predicament – but it really seemed for the first time that he had come back from the dark place his mind had travelled to at the hands of Baal. Since his capture, he had only been automatically performing his duties – apart from the crisis on that planet when Baal had come through the gate. Even after his conversation with Sam back at home, he hadn't been convinced that all was well – he went on the mission because he was part of the team; because it was his duty. Now, however, as he felt her unsteady breathing against his chest, he knew things were going to get better: he had come back, he had found her; she had found him.

Pulling away slightly he moved his hand up to cup her cheek, their faces just inches apart. "You know I thought I'd never see you again." He hadn't realised it, but tears were now forming in his eyes as well. Sam nodded without saying anything, her lip quivering with the effort to keep from crying. "Even when I got back…" he tried to collect his thoughts, "I couldn't… I was… I needed _time_ to get used to the idea of _being_ back." He finally managed to say.

Leaning his forehead against hers, their noses touching, Jack decided there and then that he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of what he knew was right. He had come so close to never seeing her again, without telling her how he really felt, without ever _showing_ her how he felt. He softly brushed a stray tear off her cheek with this thumb before slowly closing the distance between their mouths.

"Hey Carter?" he asked quietly, his mouth mere millimetres from hers. "No running away this time, k?" He waited for a brief instant, letting Sam make the final decision. He felt her nod her head slightly before finally kissing her, softly, gingerly. The anguish and despair that had filled him for the passed weeks was eventually fuelled into the kiss as desire and need. His passion was matched with hers, as she opened her mouth to allow his tongue to enter, grazing ever so slightly against her teeth as they shared in this moment of realisation.

When he finally pulled away from her, Sam immediately missed the feel of Jack's lips against hers, of his tongue intertwined with hers, of his entire _body _against hers. She moved closer to him, settling in his strong arms again, unwilling to give up on the close contact they'd been enjoying for the past couple of minutes. Burying her head in his chest, she felt hot tears springing out of her eyes, falling freely down her face and onto his jacket. The sheer relief of knowing he had survived all that life had thrown at him in the last couple of weeks was enough to reduce her to such a state; and now the knowledge that he needed her just as much as she needed him overwhelmed her. She felt his lips touching the sensitive skin on her neck and around her ear, and nuzzled further into his chest, calming down and becoming more content as each second passed.

For a few precious moments, they both forgot about Turramulli; they both forgot about the Asgard ancestor that would, in all likelihood, be their only key to escaping from the cavern; they even forgot about the dead and near-dead soldiers lying a couple of metres behind them. For a few precious moments, they were together; they had found each other, and everything was going to be alright.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok now. If anyone has read my only completed story, they'll know that I have a near-phobia of what is scientifically known as the "cheese-factor". I have nightmares about inserting too much cheesiness into Sam/Jack relationship sections of fics, which is probably why I concentrate so much on an actual plot most of the time. _

_So this is where you all have to step up to the plate (to use an American term) and tell me what you think. This is where I REALLY need it folks! The more feedback I get about these emotion-laden bits, the better I can write them!_

_Back to the main story next time! Stay tuned!_


	13. Rise of the phoenix

_A/N: Ok. So I survived writing a Sam/Jack moment, apparently with your approval. I had a bit of trouble finding my feet again with the plot but managed to hash this out – it was more about linking everything together properly… I've got a lot of characters running around!  
__I've got an essay proposal due in tomorrow about Fascist movements in Europe. Have I been working on it? Of course not! Your reviews meant that I had more _important_ things to do!_

Flatkatsi: _Glad I didn't scare you away. And yes I'm not going to forget about the dead and dying – it did occur to me that perhaps leaving the poor people to suffer wasn't that nice… but hey, I kinda address it here.  
_Bookworm: _"Buck up"! When did we transport into an Enid Blyton novel? Just kidding… the reason I'm so unsure of my writing is because my thesis supervisor keeps telling me who awful my style is! I know fiction is way different, but it doesn't inspire confidence when your professor reckons you can't write to save yourself!  
_Revvie-S: _Okay. I'm encouraged… thanks!_

_Again, enough of this prattle… back to the story! Oh, and there's a bit of language in this one… just reflecting how much Aussies swear… you've all been warned._

**Chapter XIII – Rise of the Phoenix **

* * *

Baal paced the small space available to him in the cargo vessel. He was frustrated. Frustrated and humiliated. Forced to approach Earth as if intimidated… _frightened_… forced to sneak into the Tau'ri's solar system rather than announce his arrival with a formidable fleet. 

His embarrassing defeat in battle against Lord Yu had weighed heavily in his mind, and caused must dissent within his Jaffa ranks. He could regain the upper hand against Yu or any of the other pathetic system lords without much difficulty – his master's resources were vastly superior – but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that his defeat had humiliated him in front of Anubis. If he was ever to regain the respect his master, he needed more power. He needed to demonstrate his own capability, to show that he had not in fact been defeated, that he could rise again, like a phoenix from its ashes. As he again was forced to turn around in his pacing, he made a concerted effort to calm down. Hardship was the breeder of success. The hardy were triumphant, and his perseverance would not go unrewarded.

As the small blue sphere of Earth came ever closer, Baal realised how much the discovery of Turramulli's cave had been a real breakthrough. Among all the legends of goa'uld history, Turramulli's defeat at the combined hand of the Ancients and the Asgard spoke of his formidable strength – it took an alliance of those rivalled the goa'uld to dispose of him. His strength was perhaps greater than that of Anubis – no one was sure.

The indestructible nature of his host did not make up for the mental deficiency of the primitive goa'uld symbiote… but then it was not for Turramulli that Baal was travelling to Earth. He would certainly seek out the legendary ancestor, but what was hidden among the rumoured cache of naquada was where his real interest lay. Asgard and Ancient technology, weaponry. For a race whose livelihood was the stolen achievements of others, Turramulli's cave promised to be the nirvana he had been searching for.

"My Lord," Baal's most loyal Jaffa approached him warily, recognising his God's tempestuous mood. "We are approaching the moon that circumnavigates the Tau'ri."

"We must remain on the hidden side." Baal broke from his repetitive pacing to approach the main console o the small cargo vessel. "We are not here to destroy the Tau'ri – _this time_." He added the last words hastily, seeing the surprise in the faces of a couple of Jaffa standing towards the back of the ship. "We are here to take that which the Tau'ri cannot comprehend; that which they do not deserve." He straightened his shoulders and stuck his chin out in an overly dramatic show of his superiority. "We will reclaim that which is rightfully the property of your God."

Baal's eyes were avidly fixed on the front window. He puffed his chest up with anticipation and licked his lips in greed. He saw the irregular shaped continent that housed Turramulli's cave come into view on the horizon of the planet. Soon. Soon he would rise from the ashes, reborn. Soon he would prove his worth to his master and finally crush those pathetic relics who were the System Lords.

* * *

As the sun rose into the sky over Uluru, Stacey was at the base of the rock trying to avoid Northern Territory public servants, as well as the local community. Bruce had made the necessary calls to close down the tourism site for the next two days, but of course hadn't been able to give a fully adequate explanation as to why such a course of action was necessary. The site coordinator, national parks ranger and community liaison officer had all been up in arms, not contented for a minute with the story of there having been an accident. They were all running around now, trying to get through the cordon set up by the Army. She couldn't blame them for being upset – a military show of force always caused upheaval, especially in a country that wasn't used to the armed forces having such a prominent presence. Yet another difference between the USA and Australia. 

Doug, for his part, had done his best with the Anangu people. They hadn't objected too strongly to the news that there would be a strong military presence on the rock for a couple of days. Rather, they'd laid all the blame on Doug and his treacherous 'alliance' with the Howard government. They hadn't demanded access to any information as the Territory government had – they didn't care. They'd just stated, _again_, how much they wished it could be different, how much they felt cheated by the government that had time and time again stolen their culture, their livelihood, their hope. Poor Doug was shaken, and visibly distressed at the events that were taking place – stuck as he was between two cultures that, through government arrogance and incompetency, were constantly at loggerheads.

It was now approaching 10am and in the distance Stacey could see the ever growing flotilla of tourism buses and private vehicles being turned back at the hastily-constructed checkpoint. Most of the tourism operators had been appraised of the situation, but some had attempted to approach Uluru anyway. As for the general public, well Stacey had known that an 'accident' wouldn't stop them from coming. They hadn't been able to control the media speculation on the radio and television news that morning. It was now widely known throughout the country that joint US and Aussie forces had 'taken over' Uluru, as one pretentious journo had put it. Such a scandal had probably actually _increased_ the amount of traffic approaching the rock. She was sure that half of Alice Springs had decided to drive down, just to 'check things out'.

To her right, Stacey saw Bruce walking away from a pack of irate public servants. He was almost running by the time he reached the military blockade and passed through to the relative calm of the other side. He jogged towards her before coming to halt about a metre away, sinking to the ground in exhaustion.

"_Christ_," he exclaimed with bewilderment, "They _know_ I can't tell 'em anything. And still they're chasing me like a pack of bloody piranhas!"

_(A/N: I apologise for the 'Christ' to anyone who may be offended – but in my head it's just what Bruce says… I wouldn't personally say that, but I'm pretty sure he would)_

"Just wait 'til General Marty rocks up," Stacey mused. "Apparently he's coming in a chopper – that'll send the media crazy, not that they aren't already." She cast her eye over to the roadblock were there was now a small legion of media vans camped out, their satellite dishes pointed high into the sky.

"At least the Yanks got all that weird-assed technology up there before sunrise." Bruce looked behind him towards Uluru, where the night before there had been a constant stream of SGC personnel climbing and descending with stranger upon stranger equipment. "You'd think they were launching a bloody rocket what with all that gear!"

"Yeah, what was with that telescope anyway?" Stacey turned to look at Bruce. Around 4am, a helicopter had come roaring across the desert to hover directly above the site on Uluru and lever down what looked like one powerful telescope. When Jonas had finished speaking via radio to whomever was on board, he and Teal'c had immediately set it up and looked intently into it for what had remained of the night. The concern on their faces hadn't been promising. "Jonas seemed pretty worried…"

Bruce snorted with laughter and looked slyly at the woman sitting next to him. "Oh and I bet _you _noticed!" he chuckled.

Stacey blushed at his comment and looked away, trying to maintain a look of nonchalance. "I'm an observant person," she replied haughtily. "Just because you wouldn't notice what is _blatantly _obvious to the rest of the world…"

"Whatever you say Stace." Bruce smiled to himself as he surveyed the military circus that had installed itself overnight.

"C'mon Bruce – focus." Stacey was losing her patience. "Don't you think it's something to worry about if both the aliens look petrified at what they see and refuse to tell us what it's all about?" She saw Bruce take note of what she was saying and continued. "I mean, they _know _that they have to tell us what's going on – I mean, it was part of the agreement of us working together, right?" Bruce merely nodded silently, becoming slightly perplexed himself. "So whatever it is, it's gotta be something that scares the shit out of _them_… and something that scares the shit out of them, well, it can't be good."

* * *

Jack woke to the strange sound of Sgt Siler's voice barking into his ear. "Sir?" the man sounded unsure of himself, as if he didn't believe the Tok'ra device capable of working at such great distance. "Colonel? Sir? Do you read?" 

Pushing himself up, resting on his elbows, Jack tried to make sense of his surroundings. The fact that he was alone on the floor disconcerted him, and he looked wildly around to find Sam. Seeing her less than five metres away, tending to the injured, he relaxed immeasurably before seeking out the source of the noise.

"Siler!" he exclaimed into the device, surprised to hear the gate technician's voice. "D'you win a holiday to Australia?" he asked playfully.

"Yes sir," the sergeant answered bluntly, well used to Jack's ironic sense of humour. "I assume you're enjoying your downtime with Major Carter?"

Jack saw Sam freeze out of the corner of his eye, but just winked at her; he was up for some banter. "Siler… you have _no_ idea." He was grinning from ear to ear as he said the words, and watched with glee as Sam turned a scarlet colour, half laughing, half gasping in alarm. Before this game could get any more dangerous, Jack decided to move on. "So… what can we do you for?" he sat up properly now, and noticed with surprise that Turramulli seemed to be, well, _asleep_ on the other side of the forceshield. It had never really occurred to him before, but he didn't think goa'ulds actually slept. Before he could waste too much time wondering about the resting habits of this particular goa'uld, however, Sgt Siler again grabbed his attention.

"Sir I was actually wondering if could talk to Major Carter." Siler's voice was apologetic as it filtered through the gadget. "We've got some technical issues with some of the equipment up here."

Sam moved to settle on the ground next to Jack, taking the device out of his hand and lifting it towards her mouth. She felt his arm snake around her waist to rest comfortably on her hip. She instinctively flinched and started to move away from him but felt his fingers tighten in response to her resistance. Realising that it didn't really matter whether she was leaning comfortably into his body or not, she relaxed and spoke to Siler.

"Hi Sergeant." She said, rather less cheerfully than Jack, but in a focussed voice. "Have you got anything to help us yet?" It couldn't hurt to ask, although she seriously doubted they had found anything.

"Uhhh… not _really_." Siler looked around him, marvelling at how such an armada of equipment could be so useless. "Jonas said something about there being Asgard _and _Ancient aspects to the technology?"

"Ye-es." Sam realised suddenly just how difficult it could be to interface with any of the Uluru structure. They'd had little only limited experience interfacing with Asgard technology, and next to none with Ancient devices. A hybrid of the two had the potential to be more difficult again. In addition, the cavern was much older than most alien structures they had come across – it was entirely likely that the form of technology was completely different. "The problem is," she drew her knee up to hug it against her chest, "this isn't Asgard technology like we've seen – it's _much_ older. Judging by the physiology of Fodor, the technology dates back to a time that the Asgard are currently _studying_."

"Can Fodor help us?" Siler assumed the strange name referred to the Asgard's ancestor in the cavern with Sam and Jack.

"Siler – if he _could_, d'you think we'd be relying on your accident-prone ass to get us outta here?" Jack had wrenched the communication device from Sam's hand.

Sam looked around at the Asgard and two humans. She'd checked on them just before, and tried to make Colonel McGregor as comfortable as possible. There was almost no skin left on him, however, and his body temperature was dangerously low. She'd done all she could – wrapping every piece of thermal equipment they had with them around him and laying him on top of their jackets to try and insulate him from the ground – but without immediate medical treatment, he would probably succumb to hypothermia and shock without regaining consciousness. It was harder to be sure of the extent of Fodor's injuries. Essentially, he was suffering from a gunshot wound, but whether the bullet had pierced any vital organs was another question. She'd managed to remove the bullet when he was in the stasis pod, and she had thought him on the road to recovery, but his present unconscious state was hardly encouraging.

Sam calmly took the piece of tok'ra technology back. "He's unconscious at the moment, but I don't think his injuries are too severe – hopefully he'll be able to help in due course." She felt powerless sitting in the cavern, and it frustrated her. At the very least, she wished she could communicate effectively with the SGC, without having to resort to getting second-hand information from whomever answered when she spoke to the surface. "Have we heard from the Asgard yet? Or have the Tok'ra got any more information?" She tried to ignore Jack's amused snort at her mention of the Tok'ra, pausing only to give him a slightly disapproving look.

"General Hammond didn't say anything about the Asgard, so I assume not." Siler hesitated before speaking of the Tok'ra. "The Tok'ra have been in communication, but what they've had to say hasn't been particularly helpful."

"What a surprise…" Jack murmured sarcastically, before regretting it, as Sam punched him lightly with her free arm and glared at him dangerously.

"Apparently they think we never even should have approached Turramulli's cave – as he represents a much feared legend among the goa'uld." Siler paused, smiling as he imagined the reaction Jack would probably have to what he was saying. "Apart from that, they didn't really tell us anything we didn't already know."

"Have we sent a new message to the Asgard about Fodor?" Sam was still ignoring Jack, who was still expostulating about the Tok'ra. The silence that greeted her last question told her all she needed to know. "Ok Sergeant. Get on the phone to General Hammond now and make sure they send the new message in any and every way possible. They'll be anxious to rediscover Fodor – I can't imagine they still knew he was here."

"Yes Ma'am." Siler replied sheepishly, although he was glad to have a concrete task to fulfil. "Oh and Major? About the electro-magnetic receiver…"

Sam knew what he was going to say before he'd finished the sentence. "You have to couple it with the naquada generator before calibrating the settings, otherwise all it does is detect the power source." She paused, remembering just how often Siler tended to be in the infirmary. "Get someone else to actually couple them together – it sometimes shorts out."

She felt Jack shake with laughter at her last comment and caught his eye with a smile. He wasn't the only one who could share a joke. "Oh and Sergeant?" Sam suddenly had an idea. "If the receiver still doesn't pick anything up, or the signal is depressed, you might want to interface it with the naquada to focus the search. You should be able to programme it to recognise only the same elemental properties as…"

Jack felt his mind slip away as Sam rambled on in her incomprehensible technobabble. He spied Turramulli, immobile on the ground on the other side of the shield and again wondered exactly what was going on. It occurred to him that the sarcophagus was probably when the go'auld slept… but then, what about the Tok'ra? Sam probably knew the answer to this sort of question. He looked at her face, wonderfully animated with a sense of purpose and insight as she shared her immeasurable knowledge with Siler. The extent to which he relied on her was becoming more and more apparent as time went on. The fact that he could fight the goa'uld for five years without knowing something so simple as whether they _slept_ was frankly ridiculous.

He was snapped out of his circular thought process by the sound of Teal'c's voice, which was oddly strained and full of concern. "Major Carter, we have just been alerted to the presence of Baal in orbit of Earth."

Jack froze with the shock of these words before retrieving his hand from around Sam's waist and grabbing the Tokr'a device from her hands. "WHAT!" he yelled into it, causing Turramulli to stir from his slumber, snorting discontentedly. "How the HELL could he just _appear_ like that out of nowhere!" Suddenly his heart was racing, he could feel the blood pumping through his veins, making him slightly dizzy. He had drawn his knees up to his chest and was now resting his forearms on them. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered Sam a warm hand resting on his shoulder and looked over to see Sam's face watching him closely.

"We have in fact been aware of an alien vessel approaching for some hours, O'Neill." If Teal'c was fazed by Jack's screeching, his voice didn't indicate it. "However we could not be certain of its provenance until now.

"Great." Jack unfurled himself enough to let Sam move closer to him, eliminating the space he had created in his shock at the news. "As if we didn't have enough to worry about already, what with Mr Hairy-Pillock and all." Surprisingly, although he certainly felt fear, it occurred to Jack that the prospect of being confronted with Baal no longer made him want to be physically sick. He looked around the cavern, realising suddenly the potential benefits of being trapped in an Asgard/Ancient control centre. Bring it on, he thought to himself.

"I am not acquainted with anyone by that name." Jack heard Sam stifle a giggle upon hearing Teal'c's words – the Jaffa's misunderstanding of English colloquialisms was a constant source of amusement to them all.

"I mean Turramulli, T." Jack sighed into the communicator.

He was about to ask what exactly they were planning to _do_ about Baal's presence in orbit around Earth when an all-too familiar, arrogant, and snide voice filled the cavern, sounding strangely distorted.

"Oh how sweet." Baal's holographic self leered at the sight of Sam and Jack sitting so close to each other they were almost hugging. "The humans have feelings for each other."

Jack felt Sam's grip on his arm tighten as he swung his head around fast enough to cause himself a serious neck injury. Standing there, wavering slightly with the distortion of the image, was the unmistakably pompous figure of Baal.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok. This was an annoying linking chapter to write, and I don't know how well I did it. Hopefully you're all still with me._

_I was looking at some info about Pine Gap military base for what I'm writing, and when put into google there are all these conspiracy theory sites that come up! Rather fitting for SG1… secret government base etc! You should check it out._

_Anyhoo. I'd better be off. For _Bekki's _benefit: have a nice evening and sleep well! _

_Please review! You guys keep me sane (or is it insane?)…_


	14. Divine intervention

_A/N: Hello all. I know there was a slight delay, but as the due date for my thesis approaches (7 October – not far now), I need to be spending more time working on it!  
__Thank you for all your reviews… the last chapter was a bit of a struggle so I'm glad it was well received! Thanks especially to those who hadn't reviewed in a while (_Natters _and _Questionablelight_)… it was really good to know you hadn't abandoned me or anything! Oh and to _Jess O'Neill-SGC: _keep reading, for I may find a way to include your suggestion in the future…(but please keep reading anyway…)_

_You should all know that Baal is by FAR my favourite baddie from the show – I just think he's so camp! I hope that comes through in this chapter!  
__Ok, on with the show… tongue firmly in cheek with this title:_

**Chapter XIV – Divine intervention**

* * *

Jack's eyes were wide with disbelief. There, standing in front of him, was a holographic image of Baal, who looked decidedly pleased with himself. The turmoil going through his mind as he looked at the being who had caused him so much pain was almost impossible to bear. He wanted to kill the false-god, he wanted to run away, he wanted to scream. Instead, all he could do was stare, trying to concentrate on his breathing, which had become laboured in the face of the situation. He looked briefly to Sam, who was looking just as shocked as he was, but seemed more concerned about him. He felt her thumb move up and down slightly, stroking his arm in reassurance, and was grateful for the gesture. They both returned their attention to the powerful system lord standing behind them, unsure of what to do next. 

"Ah. _Now_ you respect the strength of the go'auld." Baal was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes manically wide as he revelled in the effect he was having on the two foremost members of SG1.

Hearing the patronising, condescending, and arrogant voice that he had grown to despise so much, Jack realised something. The extent to which he hated Baal could not be underestimated. He had had nightmare upon nightmare about his torture, and what he dreaded more than almost anything else was to be in that position again. The current situation, though, was different. He was no longer petrified by Baal – and it wasn't just because they were essentially untouchable in the cavern. Instead, Jack realised that he now viewed the pompous system lord the same way the said system lord had always viewed him – with disdain; as if he were a bug in need of squashing, an annoyance. Rolling his eyes at what the false-god had said, Jack chanced a quick grin at Sam before swivelling around to face his former tormentor.

"Baal, my man!" Jack's voice was a bit uncertain and rusty at first, but he quickly found some force. "Long time no see! How's Lord Yu?" The innocent expression on his face was designed to enrage Baal. To Jack's satisfaction, he saw the goa'uld grimace at the mention of Yu. He didn't wait for an answer. "So what's with the hologram thing? Problem with your transportation? Hm? Can't just _ring _down here?"

Baal's eyes half-closed so they were only open a sliver and he pursed his lips in a ferocious scowl. "You would do well not to disrespect me, O'Neill. I can kill you many times over."

"Yeah yeah… been there – done that." Jack rolled his eyes, although he nonetheless felt a jolt of pain wash through him at the mention of his experience. Again he felt Sam's hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly in support. He couldn't have been more grateful if she'd offered to take care of _all_ his paperwork. "I escaped, remember?" He teased Baal, recovering his spirits. "Little flaw in your plan, eh?"

"Next time you will not be so… _fortunate_." Baal was fighting to keep control of his own emotions as well. The anger boiling inside him was not going to be contained for much longer, but he successfully fought it for the time being. "However, I am here to negotiate the transport of the naquada to my vessel. You will give it to me."

Sam swivelled around so she was again sitting side-by-side to Jack, and looked at Baal. She kept close to the man next to her, suspicious that his sarcastic exterior was probably masking a deeper battle within.

"What makes you think we'd agree to give _anything_ to you – let alone to _that_!" she asked coolly, her eyes boring daggers into the holographic image.

Baal looked around the cavern, seemingly in contemplative thought, before casting his eyes downwards to meet hers. "Because I'll promise not to destroy this wretched planet."

"Yeah knock yourself out - I'd like to see you try!" Jack snorted. He realised this was a dangerous game of bluff, but couldn't afford to lose any ground.

"You doubt me, O'Neill?" Baal raised one eyebrow and cocked his head slightly, in apparent amusement. "I have a vast fleet waiting to attack in orbit as we speak."

At this moment, the Tok'ra communicator, which had remained silent as Teal'c listened in to what was going on, once again transmitted the Jaffa's deep voice. "O'Neill," Jack was satisfied at the shocked expression that crossed over Baal's face upon hearing the voice.

"Yeah T, go ahead." Jack spoke into the device with nonchalance, as if Baal's presence didn't worry him at all.

"We have established that in fact there is but one vessel currently in orbit of Earth – a small cargo vessel, in the vicinity of your moon."

Jack let his hand holding the device hang limply in mid air as he looked at Baal with a sly grin on his face. "So, a _fleet_ eh?" He was pleased to see Baal looked quite taken aback at being caught out. "Sounds more like you've got a toy spaceship out there – I think we're safe." He dramatically half-whispered the last words, over-emphasising the syllables.

Baal quickly redressed himself and puffed his chest up in an attempt to hide his inadequacies. "My fleet may not have arrived, but believe me – I am capable of ripping this world of yours to shreds."

"Yeah well, forgive me if I don't shiver in my boots – your wobbly highness." Jack threw his arms up in mock defence as Baal's image wavered slightly in the cavern.

Baal's attention was drawn away from the two people in front of him when he perceived a slight movement coming from the other side of the forceshield behind them. Turramulli was stirring. As he realised what must have happened, he narcissistic smile reappeared on his obnoxious face.

"You may yet give me what I want willingly." He nodded in the direction of the monster. "In your supreme ignorance, you have awoken the legendary Turramulli. I have the means to defeat him."

Jack couldn't stop himself from looking around at the hairy beast behind them, but turned to face Baal quickly. "You know what? We're ok. Thanks so much for stopping by… but now I think you can – and Carter, correct me if I get this usage wrong – now you can _bugger off._"

"Oh yes?" Baal was not deterred by the sarcasm being shot at him by Jack. "Then why is it that you have not transported your injured out of here?"

Jack was stumped for a minute, and forced to stop to find a suitably snappy answer. Sam bought him some time as she decided to change tack and fish for information.

"Well, how were _you _planning on getting the naquada out of here?" she tried to mimic Jack's derisive tone, but only managed to sound hostile. "It's impossible for the go'auld to get in."

"Oh but I _know_, Major Carter." Baal nodded in her direction like a bored schoolteacher explaining something of supreme simplicity to a slow student. "But then by all rights, _you _shouldn't be in here either…" He pointed to Jack. "_You_, however, I am told, represent – what were the words – a step forward in human evolution?" He laughed as if this was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard in his life. "Much as I find that… _difficult_… to believe, it is rather fortuitous – for you will do my bidding."

"I…. don't think so." Jack had recovered enough from the momentary set back in this battle of wills. He was now leaning back on the palms of his hands while sitting in a relaxed posture on the ground. The sheer ridiculousness of what Baal was saying had removed most of the fear from the situation. "We tried that once before, remember? I didn't give you squat."

Baal didn't seem phased by the resistance he was facing. Instead he laughed sardonically at them and shook his head in amusement. "We'll see." The words had barely left his mouth when the image started disintegrating and he disappeared from the cavern, leaving Sam and Jack to contemplate this additional complication to their mission.

* * *

"Ok," the second Baal had disappeared, Jack had started shaking. "How the _HELL_ did he know about all that?" He was caught half-way between shock, rage, and sheer terror. The effort of staying on top of the witticisms had taken their toll. 

"I don't know." Physically, Sam was as close as she could get to Jack, but her expression told of how far away she was. "He said he was told about you… knowing about this cavern… knowing that he wouldn't be able to penetrate the Ancient and Asgard defences…" Suddenly she sat bolt upright and looked to Jack next to her. "Anubis?"

Jack had been watching Sam's face carefully as her powerful brain ran through all the possibilities. The word 'Anubis' had not been one of the answers he'd been expecting. "Huh?" he looked at her confused. "But that was Baal…"

"Yes sir, but think about it." The more Sam thought about it – and in spite of the lingering questions – the more it seemed the only possibility. "At the summit of the System Lords, Baal supported Anubis' return to the fold; and you have to admit he became a force to be reckoned with pretty quickly…" she shrugged slightly, hoping the connection she was making was viable.

"So he's working for Anubis?" Jack felt like there were rocks in his head, it was that difficult to comprehend what Sam was saying. "That can't be good for his over-inflated ego…" he mused to himself, before again grasping the problem at hand. "What's that got to do with me being able to do all this?" He cast his eye around the enduring aqua glow over the walls and doorways of the cavern.

"I don't know." It wasn't often Sam found herself saying those words, let alone twice in a matter of minutes. The fact wasn't lost on Jack, and she saw him crack a weak smile, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "But even if he's not directly working _for_ Anubis, I think he's at least subordinated to him – that's the best explanation for how he was getting this information. There's so much we don't know about Anubis…"

"We need to get outta here." Jack stood up purposefully and stretched, trying to ignore the persistent shaking which remained in his legs.

* * *

It didn't matter how many times it happened, but General Hammond could just never get used to the idea that Thor could _beam_ into his office at will. As the alien appeared out of no where, the General felt himself almost jump a foot into the air and yelp inelegantly with the shock. It didn't help that he'd been particularly engrossed in administrative papers that were threatening to drown him. 

"I apologise if I started you, General Hammond." Thor inclined his disproportionably large head slightly. "I forget that you are not accustomed to such means of transport and communication."

Hammond felt his heartbeat slow and took a few deep breaths in an effort to further calm himself down. "Not at all Thor," he replied amiably. "I'm glad to see you're yourself again." He pushed the papers in front of him into a pile on the edge of the desk and laid his hands on the table. "I take it you received our messages?"

Thor walked gingerly towards the chair in front of the General's desk and perched himself carefully on the edge. "Indeed we have, and I apologise for the time it has taken us to respond." He bowed his head slightly. "Our battle with the replicators is unfortunately persistent, and we have not generally the time to abandon the fight."

"We appreciate that Thor," General Hammond nodded, his expression serious. "However I think you will agree that in this case it was necessary we inform you of the developments taking place."

"Yes General. The Asgard thanks you for notifying us of your discovery – especially of our ancestor, and my good friend, Fodor. His existence had not been forgotten, but his whereabouts had been buried in the shifting sands of mythology and legend." The grey figure shook his head sadly. "So much has been lost in our recent conflict. From the disappearance of the Ancients to the current replicator threat, it has been increasingly difficult for us to monitor our interests across the galaxy."

General Hammond looked at the Supreme High Commander and was suddenly filled with compassion. Even an advanced race such as the Asgard could not escape the mundane problems that befall all life-forms. "How much can you tell us of Turramulli's cave?" he asked frankly.

"I'm afraid there is not much information remaining, and most of that is mere conjecture." Thor held his hand out and in a flash of white light a small CD-like device appeared in his hand. "This is the extent of our knowledge of the legend concerning Turramulli the banished, and the store of Naquada." He placed the disc on the desk in front of him. "I am informed that this medium of data storage is compatible with your computer systems – it was created with your technology in mind."

General Hammond took the disc and saw that it in fact looked to be an ordinary CD. He nodded in thanks to Thor, but steeled himself at the same time for the problem he had to present to the Commander. "There _is _something else…" He clasped his hands together on the desk and leaned forward a bit more to look Thor straight in the eye. "Although Colonel O'Neill has been able to enter Turramulli's cave successfully, he has not yet discovered how to leave the cavern. Fodor is injured, and we desperately wish to help him – but we need to know how to get _out_."

Thor nodded briefly, indicating that this was not in fact news to him. "The design of Turramulli's cave is a hybrid system conceived to prevent access by the goa'uld. As an additional safety measure, it was decided that only the Ancients could access and operate the technology within." He saw General Hammond prepare to ask why Jack was able to interact with the cavern, but stopped him. "What is important, is that _I _cannot access the cavern; nor do I have the required knowledge to share with O'Neill. I am afraid I cannot come to his assistance."

General Hammond nodded, suspicious that Thor wasn't telling him something. "And Fodor?" he asked. "Could he be of use?"

"Yes. Assuming Fodor recovers enough to be able to, he could effectively guide Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter out of the cavern safely."

One more persistent concern weighed on the General's mind. "And Turramulli?"

At this, Thor hesitated before answering – either through uncertainty or the desire not to reveal something. When he finally answered, General Hammond decided it was the former. For the first time ever, he saw a flicker of fear in the alien's normally nondescript features. "You must understand, General, that Turramulli was… is… a creature that neither the Ancients, _nor_ my ancestors could definitively vanquish." He dipped his grey head slightly. "It is believed that banishment to this cave was the only way to neutralise the threat." He looked back up to the man sitting opposite him. "But my knowledge is very limited – again, I believe you must refer to Fodor."

The phone on the desk rang at that point, and Thor waited patiently while General Hammond took the call. The expression on his face as he listened into the receiver was not encouraging, as the alien perceived all the colour seemingly drain from his normally pinkish face.

When Hammond put the phone down, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, his breath wavering as he tried to understand what was going on. "It appears the goa'uld have also discovered the legend of Turramulli." He said slowly, trying to remain calm. "Baal is in orbit and has just had a lengthy conversation with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter using a holographic communication mechanism not unlike the technology you possess."

The General had been looking at his hands while he relayed the information to Thor, but looked up as he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Thor had disappeared.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok. So now I've got all the players set! Let's see: SGC personnel, check. Australian armed forces, check (minus a General who will arrive soon). Locals and tourists at Uluru, check. Couple all that with Turramulli, Fodor, Baal and Thor – and jeez you understand why it's taken me this many chapters to get this far!_

_Couple of things I wanna clarify: I've been checking on the timeline with_ Arrant Schemata _and _BookWorm_'s help (thanks guys!) and this is what I've got.  
1. SG1 didn't know about Anubis being half-ascended yet.  
2. Baal wasn't really in Anubis' service, but it's my opnion that he was definitely under his thumb to a certain extent(pragmatic as he is).  
3. Anubis already has all the Asgard knowledge from the end of season 5, thus the beaming technology – but I've got a twist out of that coming up soon. Hmmm. Anything else? Oh yeah.  
4. Thor's consciousness had been recovered by SG1 just before Abyss (this fic takes place just after that ep) so this is the first time they see him since his recovery.  
Basically keep in mind that we know more about all this ancient business than SG1 does, so for them there are lots of questions but not many answers… but they'll still have to find a way to act._

_I'm not going to outwardly second-guess my work (take note BookWorm), but I am going to ask what you thought of my little Baal-Jack exchange… it was a little tricky to write, despite the fun I had! So please review!_


	15. And the ground shook

_A/N: Ok, so you're all VERY lucky – I usually don't get to write on the weekends because I work, but I had this chapter running around in my head all afternoon so I had to write it tonight – usually I'm WAAY too tired after work, but you've got a special effort._

_Thanks for the encouragement, especially to do with Baal. _Bekki_, I swear you made my day with your review! And _trtlsoup_, you may have few words, but that just makes them all the more precious – thanks! Thanks of course to my faithful regulars too.. you know who you are._

_On with the show! This is a bit shorter, basically cos it's coming up on midnight and I have to be up at 6am… hope you like._

**Part XV – And the ground shook**

* * *

Jack was pacing around the cavern, snarling at everything that appeared in front of his face. He'd had enough of being trapped in the glowing atmosphere of this secret area under Uluru. This was _not_ where the needed to be; this was _not_ what they needed to be doing. He looked at the immobile bodies, now on the opposite side of the cavern to him, and grunted again with dissatisfaction. They _needed_ Fodor, they _needed_ to do all they could for the soldier still alive. Most of all, they _needed_ to get out of there, away from Turramulli – and blast that Baal out of the sky once and for all. In his angry mood, he hadn't noticed Sam watching him carefully. She had risen from the ground and was now walking slowly, hesitantly, towards him. 

"Sir?" Sam could see Jack was elsewhere, in a turmoil mixed with fear, anger, and the feeling of helplessness. She knew he hated to be in such a position – uncertain, with no clear action possible. There was no indication that he'd heard her. As she reached his position, she moved so she was standing right in front of him so as not to startle him. "Jack?" she whispered, her eyes now staring straight into his. Slowly she moved her hand to touch his forearm, resting her fingers on his coarse skin. She felt goosebumps form at her touch as his eyes finally seemed to focus, the pupils no longer dilated.

Jack looked down to where Sam had placed her hand on his arm. He had been so caught up feeling angry and useless that he hadn't even heard her speak. It was only the shiver that moved down his spine at her touch that finally brought him back to reality. He retracted his arm slightly to take her hand in his, revelling at the softness of her clear skin before looking back into her eyes.

"T?" Jack hadn't stopped looking intently at Sam, nor had he released her hand from his grasp. Instead he'd brought the communication device to his mouth with his other arm. "You still there?"

"Indeed I am, O'Neill." It took almost a minute for Teal'c to respond. "I apologise for the delay. I was alerting General Hammond to the presence of Baal."

Jack squeezed Sam's hand in reassurance. The mention of Baal had caused her breath to catch, worried about his possible reaction. He saw a ghost of a smile appear on her lips, and returned it warmly, thanking whichever higher power it was that had led to their introduction so many years before.

"Good." Jack looked around the cavern again quickly before resting his eyes once more on the woman in front of him. "T, we need a plan. We need to _do _something. We're sitting ducks here if we give Baal the time he needs to do whatever the hell he wants to do."

At that moment, there was a slight rumbling inside the cavern, and Sam and Jack both looked around them in alarm. The bright aqua light that surrounded them on the walls seemed to be failing, darkening in parts where the shield appeared to breach. Jack looked quickly behind him to see Turramulli had notice and was now standing, looking intently through the shield, waiting for it to crumble enough for him to get through. Without thinking, he let Sam's hand drop, thrust the tok'ra communicator into it, and raced to grab the orb within his hands.

"Any ideas Carter!" he barked at her urgently, trying with all his might to concentrate on the integrity of the shield.

Sam had swooped down on her P-90 on the ground and was now standing next to Jack, pointing it intently at Turramulli, just in case he managed to penetrate the shield.

"Channel your emotions, sir." She had to shout to be heard over the now cacophonous rumbling of the cavern as the shield flashed a cascade of different colours.

"Dammit Carter, I'm TRYING!" As Jack said the final word, the rumbling suddenly stopped and the shield was fully re-established. As a result, his shout was resonated through the cavern, jarring both their ears.

Sam was breathing heavily with the adrenaline keeping her alert despite their fatigue. "Well done sir." She rasped between breaths, still unwilling to relinquish her weapon again.

Jack let his hands drop from the orb and hung them limply to his sides. He looked at Sam, completely bewildered. "But I don't think I did anything…" he shrugged in puzzlement.

* * *

On top of Uluru, General Marty let his jaw drop as he realised the full implications of the American operation which had been set up in the space of only 18 hours. He looked behind him to the vast expanse of desert stretching out to the east of the rock, and appreciated even more the necessity to resolve the operation as soon as possible. 

Not only were there now hundreds of baffled tourists, wondering why they couldn't visit the natural wonder they'd travelled so far to see; not only was there the persistent, unmoving, but nevertheless unsettling presence of the indigenous community; not only was the media now setting up what appeared to be a mobile broadcast city with more satellites than the yanks had even brought with them; but to make things resemble a veritable circus, the full contingent of the annual Harley Davidson Uluru Rally had just arrived.

He'd seen the approaching flood of bikies from the air as he had approached via helicopter. Like a swarm of sparkling jewels on the desert floor, they had raced towards the containment barrier now held by the armed forces, a great billowing dust cloud rising up into the sky. As if the situation wasn't already bad enough, they now had a couple of hundred scary motorbike yobbos all carrying on like disgruntled cavemen to add to the rest of the ever-growing audience.

_(A/N: No idea if you know the expression 'yobbo'. It's kind of like a redneck… any other aussies feel free to give your own definitions in a review)_

Just as he wondered exactly how the situation could possibly get any worse, it did. The ground around them started shaking, and a beam of light, directed at Uluru from the sky, seemed to be intensifying into a concentrated burst in the middle of the pack of technicians surrounding the disappearance site. The light faltered, disappearing and reappearing sporadically while the earth continued to shudder, until suddenly, everything stopped.

Stirred into action, he half-ran towards where the men were standing to see what had happened. As the General neared them, however, he again stopped still on the spot. There was another flash of light, although this time it wasn't a beam directed from the sky, but a quick proliferation of light from a concentrated spot. When the light receded, there was a small, grey figure standing amongst the cluster of people.

"Captain Hindmarsh?" He didn't move his eyes from their fix on the strange being. He could hear Stacey catching up to him from behind. "Am I to understand that an alien has just _beamed_ onto Uluru?" He finally looked around to see the young officer approaching him. She didn't seem to be nearly as taken aback with the arrival of the grey thing as he was – but then her reports from the last day had been progressively more unbelievable. By now he didn't think anything would really shock her.

"I can only imagine so, sir." Stacey puffed as she moved passed General Marty, taking great confident strides towards the group in front of them.

* * *

"If you didn't do anything…" Sam was thinking out loud, trying in vain to understand what was going on. A familiar voice, thought lost to them, gave her an immediate insight into what had just happened. 

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter?" Thor's calm voice carried through the Tok'ra device in Sam's hand, causing her to nearly drop it. "I apologise. I believe my attempt to contact you at your current location may have destabilised the defences protecting you from Turramulli."

Sam flashed a smile at Jack, mirroring the evident relief that had washed over his face. She held her hand out to offer the communicator to him, which he took gladly.

"Thor! Buddy!" Jack exclaimed into the device. "You're all better!" He paused for a moment, holding the communicator in front of him. A look of confusion spread across his features "Where are you? Why are you using a Tok'ra gadget? Why can't we see you?"

"As I said, O'Neill," Thor's patience was impressive. "I attempted to present a holographic image of myself to you, but was prevented from doing so by the extremely effective shield surrounding your location."

"Ah." Jack suddenly realised why everything had started shaking. "Do us a favour yeah? Don't try that again."

"I would do no such thing, O'Neill," Thor said. "I am well aware of the danger you face… _Turramulli_."

It was so uncommon, Jack thought he'd imagined it. Thor's voice, in expressing that last word, had not been the epitome of calm and decorum it usually was. Instead, there was a discernible streak of fear and apprehension in his voice. Jack looked at Sam, and saw she'd seen it as well.

"Sir," she said quietly. "If even the Asgard truly fear _Turramulli_…" she had also taken to expressing the monster's name in a kind of revered whisper.

"He should try calling him 'Mr Hairy-Pillock'," he mused, looking towards Turramulli. "Makes him seem kinda ridiculous."

Sam snorted at this suggestion, and realised quite unexpectedly that he was right. "That why you always make up nicknames for the various goa'uld we encounter?" she joked.

"You bet." Jack replied frankly, his eyes twinkling. "Most of the time it works too." He brought the communicator back to face level. "Ok Thor, we need your help." He moved around the cavern in a small circular pattern, describing everything he could see, hoping some of it would sound familiar to their small friend. "So we need a way to help your friend, to help our guy, to get out of here, and to get the naquada outta here – provided we find it – and all hopefully _without _getting killed by Turramulli." He paused, covered the device with his hand, and looked briefly at Sam, who had again crouched down beside Fodor. "D'you think we're asking too much?" he asked, his eyebrows wriggling comically.

"O'Neill, my knowledge is unfortunately somewhat limited." Thor's calm voice permeating through the air stopped Sam from finding a suitable response. "However, I believe with concentration you should be able to maintain the force shield protecting you and complete other tasks."

"Such as?" Since Jack hadn't managed to get them out of there, even _before_ their little encounter with Turramulli, it didn't seem that this information would do him any good.

"The internal transport system should enable you to transport the stasis pod to your location," Thor said. "This should allow Fodor to regain consciousness and provide any further help you require."

"Ah." Jack nodded his head slightly. "Ok. Hold on a sec." He looked at Sam, who was now standing, looking somewhat concerned. "So Carter…" he grinned slightly as his shaking hands reached for the orb again. "We're about to find out if men really _can_ multi-task."

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So, can men multi-task? I think it's an important scientific and philosophical question really… _

_Ok. I'm exhausted, bed time for me! As always, reviews are much appreciated – it looks like I'm going to have a hell of a week so I'd really like to hear from you guys… writing is what keeps me calm, but what keeps me writing is your reviews!_


	16. Crazy purple

_A/N: This is amazing. I have just had the most productive day EVER – and it's all thanks to you guys! Amazing response to my last chap – thank you all SOOOO much! There really is something to be said for the saying: 'if you want something done, give it to a busy person'. Because I'm so busy, and because I wanted to write this chap so much, I have had the most wonderfully effective day working on my thesis! And as a wonderful reward to me (and you), I managed to write this, less than 24 hours after I posted the last chap! You all see what reviewing can lead to? Don't worry, _BookWorm_, I'm not working myself to death (although I am quite manic right now… the excitement!) _

_Ok. Thanks again to _Bekki_ for your inspirational review. Interesting fact about the word 'yobbo'… they do that kind of reversal of letters all the time in French, it's actually a dialect (called 'verlan', phonetically backwards for 'l'envers', which means 'backwards')…  
__Thanks also to _Arrant Schemata_, I'd been wondering about my injection of Sam/Jack bits. I can't just ignore what's happened so I hope I'm doing enough _but _not too much to keep it real. I'm a bit afraid of scaring off some of the non-shippers reading – _Flatkatsi_ where are you!  
__Thanks to everyone else… new, old, lurkers… I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! Oh, and _Trtlsoup_, I appreciate the sheer abundance of words in your latest review – every impressive!  
__Ok. Enough. I think I really am manic. This author's note is like its own chapter! I enjoyed writing this part, so I hope you guys like reading it. I'm going back to the colour titles:_

**Chapter XVI – Crazy purple**

* * *

Even from their distant vantage point, the bright flash of light was starkly visible against the pale afternoon blue sky. Sandra Sully had been taking a break from her constant 'update' reports back to the Channel Ten newsroom when this sudden spurt of strange activity had incited a veritable frenzy among the numerous media outlets around her. Scrambling to re-attach the mike to her blazer, she unconsciously repositioned some stray locks of her shiny, blonde, shoulder-length hair, and looked into the camera. 

_(A/N: Sandra Sully is a main newsreader for Channel Ten, one of the free-to-air – or 'terrestrial' tv stations here in Australia... she's the 'sexy' one who usually does the late news. For any Brits reading, think Fiona Bruce…)_

"Yes Steve, I know you're in the middle of showing 'Neighbours' in the Eastern states, but I _promise _you all the other networks are breaking their programming for this as well." He clicked her tongue impatiently. "Hey, Gavin," she looked to behind the camera where the technician's eyes were glued to four separate consoles. "You've got that footage ready to go yeah? You _were_ taping?" Satisfied with his answer, she squared her shoulders and prepared for the live feed to go ahead.

_(A/N: For those not British or Australian, 'Neighbours' is a popular soap-opera)_

"Channel Ten apologises for the interruption to your programming." Her voice was calm, even, and professional – belaying the complete amazement that she felt. "There has been a development at Uluru in the last five minutes, when what appeared to be a concentrated bolt of lightening shot out of the sky towards the very top of the natural wonder." She paused for a breath, moving to the side slightly and motioning behind her with her hand. "This bolt of lightening, inexplicable as it was, given the clear skies here today, was accompanied by a severe shaking of the earth. We are yet to receive any seismic data from the earthquake, but the fact that there was a tremor at all at what is almost the very centre of Australia's continental plate is unprecedented."

Having relayed the newest information, Sandra returned to the standard line of the report. "For those who may not have tuned in earlier, the community around Uluru and Alice Springs awoke this morning to discover a daunting military presence on the very site that was handed back to the indigenous population over ten years ago." She nodded to Gavin, who rolled some file footage from earlier that day. "As can be seen in this exclusive footage, captured by Channel Ten News, there is a worrying US military presence in this latest take-over of our nation's most beloved site. Only 15 minutes ago, a helicopter thought to contain the Commanding Officer of the Joint Defence base at Pine Gap, General Marty, hovered near the summit of Uluru, allowing its occupants to climb down onto the rock."

She saw the footage flick back to the confused scenes of the morning when tourists had been turned away from the road leading in to the area. "Tourists and locals approaching Uluru today were shocked to learn of an apparent accident reported to have taken place late yesterday afternoon. We are told some people may have been injured. The closure of the popular destination, however, seems to most to be an overreaction should such a situation be true."

Gavin indicated to her that she was back on, and Sandra looked straight into the lens. "There are various theories as to the true nature of the closure, mostly advocated by fringe conspiracy groups concerned with the true purpose of joint US-Australian operations taking place at Pine Gap." She adopted a knowing smile before making her closing remarks. "Ridiculous as it may sound, the most persistent of these theories is that there are in fact aliens located in a secret chamber within Uluru." She should have signed off there, but a sudden thought struck her, and Sandra added one more, serious statement. "The bright flash of light – and the earthquake – however, have made many see these conspiracy theorists in a new light." She ignored the protesting director's voice in hear earpiece. "That's all for now. Stay tuned to Channel Ten for more news as it happens. I'm Sandra Sully."

The second Gavin indicated she was off the air she wrenched the earpiece out of her ear, refusing to listen to whatever Steve had to say. "Gav," she came around the other side of the camera to look at the image of the strange lightening bolt again. "I want you to round up one of those nutters talking about aliens."

Gavin looked at the handsome woman now leaning over his shoulder with surprise. "You sure? I mean, it wouldn't be just egging 'em on or something?"

"Just do it, ok? I've got a feeling about this – there's more to it somehow." The discarded earpiece now hanging around her neck was squawking discontentedly. With a sigh, Sandra picked it up and brought it to her ear. "And focus your camera right at the top of Uluru – maximum zoom, ok? We need to figure out what's going on." Turning her attention to the noise bombarding one of her ears, she finally acknowledged Steve. "Huh? CNN? Yeah sure…" She grinned at Gavin as he looked at her questioningly. "The news has just broken in the States – CNN wants a first hand account from us."

Back at Cheyenne Mountain, General Hammond flicked through the news stations, a feeling of foreboding settling in his stomach. News of the events at Uluru had reached the US media. Every station barring Fox News was now talking directly to Australian correspondents at the scene. Sighing, he reached for the red phone.

* * *

Sam stood next to Jack, once again pointing her P-90 in the direction of Turramulli, who was standing menacingly just on the other side of the forceshield, waiting for something to happen. She prayed to someone that nothing would happen – that Jack would be able to concentrate and focus enough to complete the set task. She glanced at him quickly and saw him scrunch his eyes shut in concentration. She wanted to encourage him, but daren't speak for fear of breaking his concentration. 

Jack could feel his stomach doing backflips with nerves as once again he let himself be engulfed by the power within the floating orb in the cavern. He thought of everything at stake. Keep Baal out. Keep Turramulli from getting to them – from getting to Carter.

Upon thinking of Sam, he felt the orb energise finally with a power comparable to that which had resulted in pushing Turramuli back beforehand. Harnessing the strength and channelling his mind towards beaming the pod through the shield without breaching its integrity, he felt his mind fuse with the power of the Ancient technology. His eyes shot open, his mouth let out a strangled scream with the concentration as the shield flashed a striking purple.

As suddenly as it had all began, he felt a light shock on the palms of his hands and gasped, pulling them away. He looked at his palms, which were red and stinging, but seemed undamaged. Quickly looking around, before the shcok engulfed his senses he saw that the shield was still in place, and Turramulli was still on the other side. He felt Sam drop her P-90 to the ground and move quickly behind her towards Fodor.

"You did it sir!" Sam's voice was breathless in amazement. He had seemed possessed, imbued with power. She'd seen her CO engulfed by the power of the orb which had extended from its singular location. The culmination had been a spectacular show of colours and the miraculous appearance of the Asgard stasis pod on the ground next to where Fodor lay unconscious.

She moved quickly to lift Fodor's small frame into the stasis pod and marvelled as the technology bleeped into life, spitting out reams of information on the screen above Fodor's head. She didn't even try to understand what it was doing, as the pod seemed to be taking care of his injuries on its own. Within minutes, Fodor was stirring.

Sam looked around to where Jack was, still standing next to the orb, and an expression of sheer joy dancing across her features. Her celebration was short-lived, however, as she saw the state Jack was in. He still hadn't moved, but his breathing had become laboured and he looked like he might collapse to the ground at any second. Without a second glance at Fodor, she raced across to the centre of the cavern, getting there just in time to guide Jack slowly to the ground as his knees finally buckled. With quick thinking, she grabbed her pack on the floor next to her and slid it around to support his back as he sat there, his eyes vacant.

"Sir!" she grasped his shoulders, looking straight into his un-seeing eyes, trying to get through to him. She felt the panic rise up in her, her heart pounding in her chest. "C'mon, you're alright… _please_ be alright." She whispered in a squeaky voice.

"Then it is true." The sound of Fodor's voice startled Sam. She looked passed Jack's vacant expression to the Asgard, who was peering out of the pod. "Neither of you are Ancient."

"No." Sam's voice was strangled as she fought the ever-growing sense of despair. "I don't know why he can use their technology, but it doesn't seem to be doing him any good!" Her eyes pleaded with the alien. "Help us…"

"But if you are not Ancient," Fodor's voice was infuriatingly calm, and Sam felt as if she could strangle him for being so objective at a time like this, "then how can I be sure you are not in the service of the goa'uld?"

Sam nearly collapsed through frustration, before she suddenly realised who was currently standing on Uluru with Jonas and Teal'c. "Because Thor's here!" She exclaimed, fishing frantically in the pockets of Jack's vest for the Tok'ra communication device. Finally laying her hands on it, she clasped it urgently and brought it to her lips. "Thor!" she waited a couple of seconds, praying to anyone who would listen that he'd answer. "Thor! It worked, Fodor's awake again, but Ja- I mean Colonel O'Neill…"

"Major Carter, I am pleased to hear it." Thor's calming intonation carried through the space of the cavern. Sam saw Fodor's eyes widen as he realised that his friend actually _was_ there. "I am afraid I must return to your ship, as there is a possibility I will be discovered if I stay here. I will monitor the events, and Teal'c has the capability to contact me should need be."

"Hang on a second!" Sam shrieked into the device, the panic still not gone from her voice. She looked over to Fodor, who had cocked his head to the side while listening to their exchange. "Do you believe us _now_?" She held her breath as she waited for an answer.

"I am undeniably content to hear the sound of Thor's voice." Fodor nodded slightly before again resting his head against the back of the stasis pod. "You may not be Ancient, but you are a friend of the Asgard, and as such I will do everything in my power to assist."

Sam thought she would melt into the ground, she was so relieved. "It's ok Thor, we should be able to take it from here. Thanks for you help." Without waiting for an answer, she tossed the communicator to the ground and concentrated on the man in front of her again. His pupils were still dilated, and his breathing not nearly as easy as she would have liked. Running her fingers down his cheek, she silently implored him to come back to her, before lifting her head to question Fodor.

"It should not be serious." Fodor spoke before she could demand to know what was going on. "When the Ancients accessed great power through the orb, there was commonly a period of time after which their mind was elsewhere." He tried not to sound concerned, although already Jack had bee 'elsewhere' for longer than any Ancient had ever been. "It is possible that in not being entirely ancient, the effects will last a bit longer on your companion."

Jack was fighting through a thick fog in his mind to harness the action that he could feel going on around him. Light was penetrating through his eyes, but the imaged were fuzzy, ill-formed. He heard Sam's anguished voice as if through a couple of metres of thick padding; he struggled to capture the words and understand them. His hands were still stinging, but the pain was dulled to an ache that extended right up his arms to his shoulders, meeting at the base of his neck.

He noticed gradually that the pain in his neck was distinct from the general aching emanating from his hands upwards. There was something sticking into the back of it. He focussed on the jabbing pain caused by whatever he was leaning on, and slowly, his eyesight came back into focus. Sam wasn't talking anymore, but her eyes were fixed on his, her hands clasping his shoulders. He could see the anxiety forming slight wrinkles on her brow; he could feel the short, sharp breaths she was taking as she waited for him to return to her. Finally, his hearing became sharper as the layers of insulation blocking his ears seemed to disappear. He could now hear Sam's breathing as well as feel the warm air flutter over his jawline.

Sam saw the change in Jack's expression immediately. His pupils were no longer dilated and his breathing relaxed. Dipping her head in relief she fought back the tears that were threatening to fall before quickly looking up at his now expectant face. "Oh thank god." She whispered, moving one her hand to touch his cheek, just to check that all really _was _ok again. "Thought I'd lost you for a minute there sir."

"Nah… just thinking." Jack smiled at her lazily, still fighting to fully engage with the world around him. "Wow. What a trip." Shaking his head, he pulled himself up slowly and looked behind him to see what had been jabbing into his back. Spying the culprit, he swiped at the pack, knocking it to the side. "Those things are _so_ not comfortable…" He looked at Sam, "My neck is _killing_ me!"

Sam sat back on her heels, her face illuminated with a broad smile. "Well sir, you've been a pain in everyone _else_'s neck for so long, it's about time…"

"A-ah!" Jack was now fully alert. "You will _not _finish that sentence Major!" His eyes were sparkling with amusement, so Sam knew he wasn't serious. "Besides," he added cheekily, "I'd say I was more of a pain in the ass…"

* * *

Luckily – for the situation could have degenerated exponentially into unfettered cheekiness from that point – Jonas chose that moment to butt in. "Colonel? Major? Do you read? Is everything ok?" 

Sam and Jack both lunged at the communicator on the ground, but Sam's reflexes were vastly superior to Jack, who was still regaining control of his limbs. "Yes Jonas. We're fine, and we're about to talk to Fodor – we should be able to tell you more soon."

At the mention of Fodor's name, Jack suddenly realised that Sam had single-handedly revived him in the stasis pod. He lifted himself off the ground carefully and moved over towards the small alien.

"That's good. You might wanna hurry up though…" there was a hint of concern in Jonas' voice that rang alarm bells in both Sam and Jack's head.

"How come?" Sam asked, now also standing.

"Well, Thor's arrival didn't exactly go unnoticed to the 500 _hundred _or so people now on the ground surrounding Uluru-"

"Five _HUNDRED_!" Sam exclaimed, unable to stop herself from interrupting. "What on _Earth _has been going on up there?"

"Well," Jonas took a deep breath, wondering where to start. "Look, I'll put you on to General Marty, he's the CO of Pine Gap. He knows more."

Sam held the device out to Jack. "Maybe you should take this sir," she offered. "After all, you _are_ in charge of this operation." He took it, and Sam stood next to him, both of them watching Fodor carefully as they waited for the General to speak.

"Major Carter?" a soft, but strong voice came over the communicator, the accent almost sounding British.

"Actually this is Colonel O'Neill, sir." Jack's voice had adopted the slightly-insolent tone he had perfected for talking to superior officers.

"Ah Colonel," General Marty began, "I realise you and Major Carter have a situation down there. But we've got a full-on circus outside the containment line around the rock here." He paused, looking at the expansive desert around him, now dotted with people from all walks of life. "The media's threatening to take over, giving _way_ to much credit to those damned conspiracy theories… half of the country seems to have driven down just to see what all the fuss is about… the aborigines are glaring at us as if we've stolen their land – again… But worst of all," he cast his eyes over the shiny metal swarm settled on the other side of the distant fence at desert-level, "Worst of all there's a good hundred or so rowdy Harley-Davidson riders camped out."

Jack pulled the Tok'ra communicator away from his mouth and looked at it in disbelief. He glanced up at Sam who looked caught between bewilderment and hysterical silent laughter. Fighting the urge to collapse into a fit of laughter himself, he managed to string a couple of words together. "I'm sorry sir, but bikers?" He couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice, which just sent Sam into an actual fit of giggles. She was struggling to hold herself up, grasping the side of the Asgard stasis pod.

"Yes, yes. Bikers." General Marty sounded like he was losing patience. Not with _them_ – but with the whole situation. "The media saw that Thor-guy's arrival and are in a right old frenzy – all the nut-job conspiracy theorists are talking to them now. General Hammond has contacted us to say it's all over the news stations in America and probably the world now."

"Oooo-kay." Jack said slowly, still trying to figure out if this Aussie General was for real. "Well sir, we're doing our best down here, but you'll just have to let us work. Hopefully we'll be back up there in the next 15 or so."

"See that you are, Colonel." General Marty spoke authoritatively into the device. "We can't afford to let this affair drag on – it's already gone too far."

"With all due respect, sir," Jack had gotten over the amusement he'd felt upon hearing about the crazy collection of onlookers, and was feeling quite annoyed. "No one wants this affair to drag on – but in case you hadn't realised, there's a very dangerous alien down here and an even more dangerous one currently in orbit." He glanced at Sam, who looked like she felt the same way as he did. "Quite frankly, our primary concern is to do with them – whatever's going on up there is your department." Before the General could respond, Jack handed the device to Sam and instructed her to turn it off. "He's just going to keep it up otherwise." He explained when she hesitated.

* * *

Fodor had been quietly recovering in the pod while all this action had taken place. He was trying to piece together the events from the strange conversation the humans were having with whoever was on top of Uluru. 

"Is your world free from the blight of the goa'uld?" he asked, the curiosity evident in his innocent-sounding voice.

"Yes." Sam directed her full attention to the alien. "We're fighting a tough battle to keep it that way – but so far we've remained free."

"That is good." He said simply, resting his head once more.

"Ok Fodor," Jack straightened his back – ignoring the twinge of pain in his neck – as he spoke. "How do we get out of here?"

"You cannot." Fodor stated.

"_WHAT!"_ Jack hissed, leaning in towards the alien menacingly.

"I apologise," Fodor added quickly, "I should clarify… unless Turramulli is properly secured within his designated containment area, the exit transportation sequence will not function. This aspect of the system is a failsafe designed to prevent his escape."

Sam lay a hand on Jack's twitching forearm to calm him down. Curling her fingers loosely around his wrist, she let them settle there comfortably as she spoke to Fodor. "Is there a way you know of to override the system?"

Fodor shook his head. "It is impossible, and unadvisable in any case – to exit the cave-structure the shield must be deactivated." He glanced towards Turramulli, who was intently watching their every move. "Even the smallest window of time would allow the monster to reach our position and potentially exit the cavern as well."

"So we've either gotta get Mr Hairy-Pillock there back into his cell, or we're stuck here." Jack said, with a strange optimism to his voice. "Piece o' cake, right Carter?"

"How do we get Turramulli properly secured again?" Sam ignored Jack's comment, although she had felt her lips instinctively curl into a smile at his words.

At that moment, a familiar, arrogant voice polluted their ears for the second time in the space of a couple of hours. "I told you my assistance would be required." Baal was grinning with delight as he looked at the pathetic humans trying to solve a problem that was obviously beyond them. "Maybe now you will consider my _generous_ offer?"

* * *

_A/N: Phew! Hope that all makes sense to you! We've got a doozy of a scene coming up with Baal, Jack, Sam and Fodor, eh? I might not be able to add another chap until Wednesday night/Thursday morning as I'm working 8 hour shifts tomorrow and the next day. But you never know… I didn't think I'd be able to post today… and yet here I am._

_Hope you can find the time to review!_


	17. 24

_A/N: Ok.. so this is the longest chapter EVER. I kinda wrote a dot-point plan out for it a couple of days ago… and then when writing it, it just kept getting longer! Thanks for your reviews from the last chap – hope this one inspires some commentary!_

_Warning (or promise, depending on your sensibilities): Sam/Jack bizzo ahead_

_Oh man… no idea about a title… oh, hang on… got one. (Youall really needed to read that thought process, right?)_

**Chapter XVII - 24**

* * *

Jack turned around slowly, rolling his eyes far back into his head. As he surveyed the cavern, he hoped that he'd just imagined Baal. Unfortunately, the slimy dark-haired goa'uld was indeed standing a few metres away from them, his image shaking slightly, with a narcissistic grin on his face. 

"Oh for crying out _LOUD_!" Jack was completely fed-up with the entire situation, and if he didn't see Baal again for a _very_ long time, it would still be too soon. "Did I, or did I not, tell you… to _BUGGER OFF_!" He had taken two steps towards the goa'uld's holographic image, feeling a sense of trepidation as he did so. His rational mind knew the malevolent false-god wasn't _really_ there, but the images travelling from his eyes to his brain were triggering an altogether different response. Thankfully, any fear he felt was outweighed by the sheer irritation felt at having to deal with Mr. Holier-than-thou in the first place.

"You should know by now O'Neill," Baal was quite amused by Jack's reaction, "that I do _not _take orders from mere humans."

"Yeah well," Jack grumbled dangerously, "This _mere human_ is gonna kick your ass sideways to hell one day – you mark my words."

"Quite." Baal didn't see any point arguing with Jack. "However at the present time, I believe you require my assistance."

Jack looked back to Sam and Fodor, who were both watching the interchange carefully. Sam was whispering some kind of commentary out of the side of her mouth to Fodor, presumably bringing him up to date on the situation with Baal. She caught Jack's eye as he looked back but didn't change her expression, concentrating instead on the goa'uld in the middle of the room.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." Jack puffed up his chest a little, standing taller in his position. "We got it, thanks."

Baal glanced briefly at the weak Asgard in the stasis pod and snorted snidely. "You mean that _thing _in the pod?" He let a loud roar of laughter escape his lips, before addressing Fodor directly. "Once a great nation, rivalling my own, your people is now brought to their knees – relinquishing their place before an attack of _machines_."

Fodor was shocked by what he was hearing. He turned to Sam, concerned. "Is what the goa'uld says true?"

Sam didn't take her eyes of Baal as she responded. "Yes, but the Asgard are fighting back." She lifted her voice so it could be clearly heard by Baal, her tone challenging him. "Besides, that has no bearing _whatsoever_ here. I suppose you have already detected Thor's ship in orbit?" She felt a sly grin appear on her lips and caught Jack's eye, who was looking at her with admiration. "You may have cloaked your ship, but how long before he discovers your exact location? He already knows you're here."

Baal shook his head as he chuckled maliciously. "Ah but you assume my skills are outweighed by that of the Asgard." His eyes narrowed as he focussed on Jack. "Tell me, O'Neill, why is it that I can appear before you, but Thor is unable to do so? Hm?" Baal nodded his head, satisfied at Jack's inability to furnish an answer – sarcastic or not. "You see, I am not afraid of Thor, nor of any other Asgard."

Jack looked to Sam, strongly disconcerted by what Baal was saying. If it were indeed true that he possessed technology superior to that of the Asgard, then there was perhaps a real danger with his up-til-now annoying presence. The confidence that had run through him in knowing that Baal couldn't really hurt them began to seep away, and the knot in his stomach that had been threatening to cause an onset of nausea started growing. He could feel his heartrate increase exponentially but fought to keep his breathing under control. He had to keep it together - at least in front of Baal, at least until they could formulate another plan. With a will of iron, he returned his gaze to lock eyes with Baal.

"And yet you're not _actually_ here." His voice had lost its playful tone, and was now deadly serious. "You cannot penetrate the shield. You have _nothing_ on the Ancients."

Baal waved his hand in the air to indicate his nonchalance towards this minor detail. "Ah but I will, O'Neill." He matched Jack's unsmiling stance. "Given time, I _will_." With that, he disappeared again, his face adopting an all-knowing smile as the image flickered out of existence.

* * *

Jack felt numb. The minute Baal had disappeared his entire body had slackened with relief, although he knew this would only be a short reprieve. His mind was racing but paralysed at the same time. He knew they needed to do something… _anything_… but was struggling to come to terms with the newly promoted danger they faced. He heard Sam talking quickly and purposefully to Fodor and moved automatically towards them, doing his best to function normally. 

"You believe this goa'uld is acting with the help of another?" Fodor blinked slowly over his wide oval-shaped eyes.

"Yes." Sam was aware of Jack's abrupt change in demeanour, but she knew at the same time that for the moment they needed to act. Nevertheless, she moved slightly closer to him, so their arms were almost touching. "We think he is acting in consort or under the orders of Anubis – a goa'uld who possesses technology unknown to others of the same species."

"I know nothing of this Anubis, but admit that this Baal may be correct."

These words snapped Jack abruptly back into the moment. "What? You mean we actually _do_ need this show-pony's help?" A wave of alarm swept over him and he felt his knees weaken slightly at the prospect. Only the warm feel of Sam's hand delicately brushing against his lower arm kept him from collapsing.

"As much as I see this causes you chagrin, I must acquiesce to this probability." Fodor said, calm as ever. "We had tried on numerous occasions to capture Turramulli without success. He could not be transported with our technology, and any effort to capture him within physical restraints proved fruitless."

"So how was he captured and interned here?" Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing. It just wasn't possible that the Asgard were this powerless. The replicators represented a serious threat; she wouldn't have thought for an instant that a primitive goa'uld – no matter the advantages of the host's physiology – could prove so dangerous to them.

"The Ancients." Fodor stated matter-of-factly. "They lured him here under false-pretences, but it is unknown to us how; we had tried the same approach on many occasions without success."

"And they didn't share this vital piece of information for you?" Jack once again re-engaged with the conversation. "How _Tok'ra-esque_ of them…" he added with a murmur, before returning inwards to his own thought.

Sam glanced at Jack quickly, a smile tugging at her lips. "I guess we'd better talk to Thor." She said to no-one in particular.

* * *

General Marty was pacing along a circular course around the apparent transportation site on Uluru. He'd been warned about Colonel O'Neill's abrupt demeanour, and certain contempt for the rules, but he was still not going to tolerate the use of such a tone of voice from the arrogant yank. 

_(A/N: Don't all shout at me. I know Jack's not arrogant – I'm just telling it like an outsider might see him if they got on his wrong side!)_

"Captain Hindmarsh!" He bellowed, for Stacey was a good 100 metres away from his position, consulting with the media-liaison officer of the base. She came sprinting to him, a somewhat apprehensive expression on her face. "You know these people more than I do," he began when she arrived, saluting formally at her superior officer.

"Not really sir," she glanced sideways at Jonas, who was deep in conversation with Teal'c. Granted, she'd talked to them more than any of the other Australians on-site, but she'd still only known them for less than 24 hours.

"Well, you've talked to the alien Jonas in particular," General Marty continued impatiently. "Do they _really_ know what they're doing?"

Stacey sighed inwardly, reminding herself once again that he was a man of great power. "Sir, I think they're the _only _people who have a chance at this – they're the only people who _could_ know what they're doing." She tried to inject as much credibility into her voice as possible.

General Marty sighed and looked at the dormant alien walkie-talkie again. Considering he had been waiting for someone to contact them again, it shouldn't have been such a surprise when a voice started squawking through it.

"Jonas? Teal'c?" Sam's voice included was laced with urgency.

"Major Carter, this is General Marty." He snapped into the communicator. "Status report please." It was a statement and not a question.

"Sir, we have a problem. I need to speak to Teal'c… sir." She added the second sir deliberately, sensing the Australian man's combative tone.

"Major, need I remind you that this operation is with the participation of the Australian government on the condition that we be kept informed of _ALL_ developments?" Damned yanks, he was thinking to himself. He was damned if they were going to drag the Australian forces into something they didn't want to be involved in.

"Sir I understand your concerns and I assure you Teal'c and Jonas will inform you of all the details in due course." Sam was speaking almost faster than she could think, trying to remain diplomatic. "In short, the dangerous alien orbiting the earth at the moment has just become _more_ dangerous, and we need to inform Thor – the good alien." She realised her language could be construed as patronising, but it was the simplest explanation she could come up with.

Hearing the word 'alien' twice in the same sentence, General Marty realised again that he was completely out of his depth. Resignedly, he motioned to the large jaffa to approach and handed over the Tok'ra communicator.

* * *

"Major Carter." Teal'c stated, "I am pleased to hear your voice." The jaffa listened intently, his face registering consternation as Sam spoke, revealing the dangerous situation they found themselves in. "Indeed I will contact Thor immediately and we will attempt to locate Baal's vessel." 

At that moment, Thor himself again appeared on Uluru, in between Teal'c and General Marty. The latter jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the grey alien. Despite himself, he recoiled in a mix of fear and shock as the small figure spoke.

"Major Carter." Thor spoke deliberately. "I have monitored your conversation with Teal'c and this is undeniably a matter of serious concern. I was able to locate Baal's vessel briefly – it would appear this was when he appeared in the cavern."

"That figures." Sam sounded resigned to their hopeless situation. "It's undoubtedly cloaked most of the time."

"I agree." Thor blinked slowly. "However I have already begun the search for his vessel with a view to apprehending him."

Sam took a while to respond. "Fodor doesn't think that's a good idea Thor." Everyone present could feel the tension rise in her voice. "Apparently we really _do _need Baal's help to neutralise Turramulli."

Thor took this piece of information in his stride, although he did move closer to Teal'c – General Marty seemed on the point of explosion. "I will trust in your and O'Neill's judgement, Major Carter." He said. "I will not cease in my search for Baal's ship – I will, however, abstain from detaining him."

General Marty grabbed the Tok'ra communicator out of Teal'c's hand as soon as Thor had relinquished it before disappearing again. "Are you telling us, Major," he snarled, "that we actually have to wait for the alleged _bad_-guy to come to our aid!"

"I'm afraid so sir." Sam's voice was slowly gaining the bellicose edge that Jack's had had when speaking to the Australian general.

"Well can you at least give me a status report on Fletcher and McGregor!" he raised his free hand into the air in a gesture of disbelief. "Can we do _anything_! I don't need to remind you of the precarious situation we're in here on the surface…"

There was a brief silence before Sam spoke. "I regret to inform you sir, that both the men are now dead – their injuries at Turramulli's hand were too severe." There was a deep sadness in her voice. "I don't think even the best care could have staved off the mix of hypothermia and ensuing infection that would result from having most of their skin removed."

General Marty paused to collect his thoughts. His heart sinking at the news. The minute he'd heard of the situation at Uluru he'd suspected this would be the outcome, but couldn't help but feel that the Americans hadn't done enough to help his – and their – man. The ends couldn't justify the means – and one had to be very careful when sacrificing the lives of good soldiers for the cause of the bigger picture.

"I sincerely hope you're right Major," he said tersely, "for if I discover that you could have done _anything_ to improve their chances of survival," he was downright aggressive now, "you can be sure the Australian government will be reconsidering its alliance with the USA."

There was the sound of a muffled struggle through the Tok'ra communicator, followed by the sound of an irate colonel. "I think I speak for the US government, _SIR_," Jack's voice roared out of the device, "when I say that if it came between US-Australian relations and the safety of our _ENTIRE _planet, then we know where our duty lies!" He continued, without pause even for a breath. "And need I remind you that _your_ man wouldn't have come anywhere _near _harm's way if everyone had just _WAITED_ for us to arrive before climbing this damned rock!"

The communicator fell silent, leaving General Marty staring at it in disbelief. Stacey stifled a grin as she heard his words, revelling in this rare occasion – it wasn't often the great General Marty was put in his place. Looking sideways to Teal'c, she saw with surprise that the overbearing alien seemed to be smiling just as she – it was the first time she'd seen him display any emotion whatsoever.

* * *

Jack threw the communicator to the floor of the cavern with disgust. "I'd give almost anything to be doing this off-world right now – no incompetent bureaucrats to deal with." He nodded with approval as Sam took the device and deactivated it. 

"I think he's just frustrated sir," she sighed accommodatingly, "it can't be easy up there, what with the media coverage."

Jack wasn't really listening anymore. The general's invective had drawn him out of his mind into the real situation, but he quickly receded into himself – if for nothing else, in order to suppress his ire at the General's idiocy. The sense of apprehension was still growing within him, and without someone to shout at, he again felt the panic taking over. To calm himself down, he turned his attention to the now completely lifeless bodies laying on the ground. He carefully moved them to the end of the cave and lay their possessions next to them. Covering their bodies, he paused slightly to reflect on the hopeless loss of life, wishing it could have been any other way.

Sam left Jack to his task, aware of the inner turmoil he was fighting. Instead she turned back to Fodor. "So we wait for Baal?" she said softly.

Fodor blinked slowly and nodded in agreement, before reaching a slender hand out to Sam. "I fear this is true." He said. "In the meantime, I would ask that you allow the pod to perform its function and treat my injuries." He motioned to the control section at the head of the stasis pod. "Once you have closed the lid, my wounds will start to heal – the process hopefully complete within the hour."

Sam followed Fodor's instructions wordlessly and the Asgard disappeared under the sliding lid of the pod. That complete, she breathed out slowly and turned to look at Jack, who was still crouched down next to the dead soldiers now on the edge of the cavern.

"Sir?" She began uncertainly. Jack didn't move, but inclined his head slightly, indicating that he was listening. "Sir, there's nothing we can do."

Jack stood up slowly, his knees creaking with the effort. He shuffled dejectedly towards the centre of the room where their packs were still on the ground and constructed a backrest for him to lean against. Keeping his mind focussed on these mundane tasks, he worked silently, conscious of Sam's watchful eye, before settling on the ground. He picked up his P-90 and began loading and unloading it, arming and disarming it. He needed the activity to keep sane, to avoid thinking too much about Baal and the danger they faced – one way or the other.

* * *

"Ma'am!" Stacey was distracted from the ongoing conversation between Teal'c and Jonas by the sound of an urgent voice. 

"Yes Sergeant?" she moved slightly away from the other people to talk to Bruce. His formal address to her had surprised her, but was understandable considering the presence of the General.

"Stace," Bruce started quietly, trying not to alarm General Marty, "the media's going nuts – that chick from channel 10 has been talking to some conspiracy nutter and they've somehow got footage of that little alien guy."

Stacey was alarmed, to say the least. "Have they _shown _the footage?" her eyes were wide.

Bruce shook his head to indicate no. "They're threatening to though… it'd tie in great with what their conspiracy theorist is saying." Seeing the questioning look on Stacey's face, he continued. "He's talking about some intergalactic war between aliens over Uluru…" he paused, smiling quizzically. "Not far from the truth, eh?"

"What's going on?" Stacey hadn't noticed Jonas approach, who was now standing next to her.

"One of the media outlets has footage of Thor." Stacey rubbed her hand over her forehead, trying to stave off a growing headache. "They haven't shown it yet," she added hastily, seeing the alarm on Jonas' face, "but we're going to have to resolve this thing soon if you guys wanna keep this all secret."

"Damn straight we gotta resolve this!" General Marty barked at them from a couple of metres away. He had been listening intently into his mobile phone for the last 5 minutes, interjecting only to say 'yes sir,' and 'no sir.' He turned to address Jonas, his nostrils flaring and eyes blazing with the contempt he now felt for the alien and his American allies. "We've got all the reinforcement we can gather heading here right now, but that crowd is going to get _worse_ and not better!" He thrust his arm out, motioning at the sea of people on the ground, colouring the vast red floor of the desert at twilight. "The Prime Minister's given you an ultimatum." He was now leaning in on Jonas, imposing a menacing figure. "Twenty-four hours. After that, we're reopening the tourist site – whether your people have escaped or not."

General Marty's threat was dampened slightly by the presence of Teal'c, who visibly hardened his stance at these last words. "You would abandon those who have on countless occasions saved your world?" He growled at the General.

The General couldn't find an answer, and was now recoiling in fear in front of the increasingly irate Jaffa. He looked uncertainly towards Jonas, who, despite his previous display of diplomacy, didn't look like this would extend to the current situation.

"General," Jonas said coldly. "Of course we will try to neutralise the threat and get everyone out of that cavern before the deadline – sooner if possible – but you must understand that there is more at stake than your government's public image." He shook his head in disbelief. "This is not an opportunity for political gain or loss – and political motivations will NOT have any bearing whatsoever on our actions."

* * *

Sam moved silently over to where Jack was sitting and perched on the ground next to him. She watched as he loaded and reloaded his weapon with abject determination. Eying Turramulli carefully, who was pacing around the cave network on the other side of the forceshield, she settled into the ground, crossing her legs comfortably and resting her forearms on her knees. 

After about ten minutes, she couldn't remain silent any longer. Jack hadn't varied his movements by even the smallest degree during this time, and was still working with the firearm, his expression unwavering. She knew he could probably keep this up for hours and so cleared her throat.

"We've had to make a deal with the devil before." She said quietly, still looking straight ahead. "We'll be able to make it through this as well."

Jack didn't indicate whether he'd heard her or not, continuing his now rhythmic motions.

"We've got Thor on stand-by." Sam tried again, injecting some more force into her tone of voice. "The minute we've got the information we need, Baal will be history."

"I wish."

Sam nearly missed the comment. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to figure out whether she'd imagined it or not. Looking sideways she saw Jack hadn't stopped what he was doing, but was now handling the P-90 with more violence. His expression was no longer absent, vacant, but contorted with a mixture of anger and fear. Slowly, so as not to startle him, she moved her hand to his and stilled it with her touch. He froze instantly, not moving a muscle. He was staring at Sam's hand touching his, as if he were waiting for her to give up and leave him be. Instead, she increased the pressure and clasped his hand in hers, slowly drawing it away from the firearm. With her other hand, Sam took the P-90 away and placed it beside her on the ground so Jack couldn't reach it. Slowly, Jack turned his head to look at her, not giving an inch. He waited for her to speak.

"This is _no different_ from any other mission." She whispered; her face inches from his. "You're Colonel Jack O'Neill. CO of SG1. 2IC of the SGC." She emphasised each word deliberately. "You're the one human most of the goa'uld fear – and Baal's no different. He's just like any other one of them – and if it's not today, we _will_ one day defeat him."

Still Jack couldn't say anything, but he was sure Sam knew what was going through his mind. He wanted to believe her, but was trapped between his memories of torture and his apprehension for the near future. When he looked just at her, when it seemed like just them in the room – he knew what she said must be true. But the sound of Turramulli shuffling around only 20 metres away placed the seed of doubt in his mind, prevented him from rising above the sense of panicked paralysis he was trapped in.

Try as he might, he couldn't block the sound of the feared goa'uld out of his mind. What's more, the harder he tried, the louder Turramulli's movements seemed to become, until he could only hear the coarse breathing of the monster, in time with his steps. Fighting to pull-himself out of this torpor, Jack shakily lifted his free hand to touch Sam's cheek; he needed to connect with her.

Sam felt the uncertain shaking of his hand as it fluttered over her jawline. "That's right Jack. I'm here. It's just you and me. Stay focussed on my face – nothing else."

Without warning, Sam felt herself being pulled into him with such force all the air was expelled from her lungs. Jack had her clamped against his body, her head pressed against his shoulder. He was clinging onto her with all possible strength, his breathing now coming in heaves as he managed to come back up from the depths of his tortured mind.

Eventually, Jack managed to loosen his grip on Sam and look at her. He didn't let her go; instead he had withdrawn his arms from their strong embrace around her torso to a comfortable resting position, his hands comfortably placed on her forearms, thumbs stroking the soft skin on the inside of her elbows. Suddenly ashamed by his complete loss of control, he let his head slump into his chest and laughed bitterly.

"Told you I'd freeze." He said hoarsely, still not recovered.

"You're fine Jack." Sam whispered with conviction. "You had no problems when Baal was here. A little… _reflection_… in his absence isn't going to hurt anyone."

"Still feel like an idiot." Jack was almost starting to sulk now, signalling his progress.

"Sir," Sam leaned in and peered up at his face, "you _are_ an idiot – but not for the reasons you think you are."

Jack couldn't suppress a smile at this comment.

"So do you believe me now?" Sam knew it was dangerous territory, but they had to resolve his fear once and for all. She didn't realise she was holding her breath until he replied.

"Carter." Jack lifted his head to look at her. He looked at her plainly, without any pretence, his expression completely frank. "You're _always_ right – I should know that by now."

They sat there, looking intently at each other for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts. It was finally Jack who broke the silence.

"Sam," he realised he had started to tremble slightly with trepidation, "if-"

"Not going to happen, sir." Sam cut him off before he could finish.

"But I didn't-" Jack protested, pulling away from Sam slightly to get a better look at her face.

"I know." Sam said "But you're not going to start proposing 'ifs'." She raised both her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, showing she was serious.

There were so many things Jack wanted to be able to say; he wished he was better with words, with feelings. Looking into her eyes, he tried to transmit them telepathically, but suspected it was no use. Inwardly grunting with dissatisfaction, he looked up to the ceiling of the cavern as if it would provide him with some clue. He daren't consider what Sam might be making of all this – of his actions, his effective mental breakdown, his incompetent attempts at communication. Finally steeling himself, he looked back down and saw she hadn't moved as much as a muscle. She was still looking at him, however now the mark of concern had returned to overshadow her delicate features.

"Hey, I'm fine." He whispered, smiling lazily. As if to prove it – and to solve his communication problems – Jack followed those words by moving closer to Sam, feeling her breath catch as he gingerly touched his lips to hers.

There was less hesitation than before, and he felt her lean into the kiss almost immediately, urgently pressing her lips against his. He could feel himself losing control as Sam grasped his neck with one hand while playfully kneading her fingers into his side with the other. It was driving him crazy, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth, pulling her entire body closer to his, urgently feeling every inch of her pressed against him. Finally, he pulled away, trying to contain himself as Sam groaned slightly to show her discontent at the distance opening up between them.

Sam leaned closer to Jack, moving her mouth to his ear. "Yes you are." She whispered playfully, before retreated back to look at his face, which registered shock at her impish comment.

He must have looked _very_ shocked, because Jack almost immediately saw Sam's face fall, perhaps as she grasped the implications of the situation they were in. He moved quickly to pull her closer.

"I suppose we need to… well… _talk_… about this." He murmured, while resting his chin comfortably on her head. When he felt her nod against his neck, he knew he'd got it in one. "Yeah…" Neither of them said anything for the moment, but instead relished in the moment.

* * *

_A/N: Ok. So there's no WAY I can start a conversation of this importance when I'm up to page 9 of a word document… I probably should have split this into two chapters… but that just requires me posting twice… and you all read of my dilemma with the title – why would I subject myself to such difficulties twice?_

_Now, I know I've promised not to second guess myself… but I'll just underline that although your reviews have been wonderful, I remain somewhat unsure of my abilities concerning the cheese-factor etc. _

_Also, it's a sad day for me today. My car, a beautiful silver 1980 BMW 528i left to me by my grandfather, (and so named 'Grandad') has just died – no hope of resurrection. He had been in my family from birth – bought brand new in 1981 – and was a member of the family. Now not only do I have easy transportation, but it's the end of an era – so please be nic_


	18. Phenomenal pheromones

_A/N: Hello, thank you all for the reviews, and kind condolences about my poor car. Grandad will be sorely missed. But anyways, moving on! _

Flatkatsi_, I hope you weren't too traumatised by the death of the soldier dudes – basically I'd conceived them at the beginning of the fic and then had no room for them – there are well too many characters running around as it is… I hope you can deal.  
_Kathy,_ I agree, which is why I'm trying to be so careful with dialogue etc. I appreciate it that you think I'm doing ok!  
_Kittn,_ good to see you're up to date now – hope I can keep the updates coming so you don't have to wait to long! And thanks for the compliment… I went all red just reading it!_

_Ok, I need to post before the library closes! Hope you all like!_

**Chapter XVIII – Phenomenal pheromones **

* * *

"Lord Baal," the loyal servant approached the goa'uld cautiously, "should you not return to claim the naquada immediately? The Asgard ship is still in orbit – there is a strong chance we will soon be discovered."

The nasty smile that had adorned Baal's face while speaking to Jack now disappeared. His eyes narrowed as he turned slightly and moved to confront the jaffa. "Jaffa!" he bellowed. "You will not question your Lord's actions!" He turned to look out the window towards Earth and saw the Asgard ship leave orbit, probably searching for his own now invisible vessel. "Not all battles are won by force alone." He said. "Strategy and wit are the guidelines by which we will triumph this day."

All the same, Baal was becoming worried. The presence of the Asgard ship made it exceedingly dangerous to appear in the cavern – for doing so required de-cloaking his vessel. They would have to wait until the ship was searching on the other side of the planet.

He glanced quickly at the consol under the window and noticed how much time had passed since their arrival. Anubis would soon become suspicious at his disappearance and would demand answers. Baal cringed inwardly at the thought. There was no denying the formidable power housed by the strange being – even though to admit the existence of such power pained him to no end. He would pretend to follow Anubis until he was in a position to break free and destroy him. The alleged quantity of naquada housed under Turramulli mountain would help assure victory – and its remote location would provide him with the element of surprise.

"My Lord!" Baal was brought out of his musings by the urgent voice of one of his servants. "A message arrives from Supreme Lord Anubis!"

"Avert your eyes, Jaffa!" Baal shouted, moving quickly over to his position. "This message is not for you to see." The loyal servant bowed his head promptly, issuing hasty apologies as he shuffled backwards to leave the space free for Baal.

The transmitted message was, much to Baal's relief, in text. His relief soon washed away, however, when he saw the content:

_Your absence displeases me Baal. Such measures of obfuscation and subterfuge will not be tolerated. The Tau'ri will not fail to detect your presence around their homeworld, and I will not come to your assistance should you raise their ire. Return immediately, for your master has a new plan for their destruction_.

Glancing out the window, Baal saw with irritation that the Asgard ship was still nearby, and would not fail to detect them should he continue with his plan. Despite his trepidation, he deleted the newly arrived message and turned to his followers.

"Lord Anubis has spoken." He declared. "We will proceed as planned – notify me the moment we are able to manoeuvre undetected by the Asgard ship." Inwardly, he hoped fervently that they could act quickly – otherwise, Anubis would not be kind upon his return.

* * *

Sam could feel Jack's heartbeat as she pressed her head into his chest, comfortably clamped into position by his strong arms. His heart was beating just as fast as hers, which was oddly reassuring. She was fighting the urge to pull away from him, both physically and emotionally. They'd crossed the line three times in only 48 hours. For almost five years now they'd successfully avoided this, but now it had all changed. 

It was agonising, feeling his warm body covering so much of hers. The uncertainty of their future well-being caused her to ache with foreboding. She knew they needed to talk; but when you'd been denying your feelings for so long, how were you supposed to even _know _what they were? A year ago, she'd known – and she'd been sure of their reciprocity. But now? If anything, she felt even more strongly for him – despite her best efforts to remain professional, she was sure it had been increasingly obvious to everyone around them. But what about him? She listened intently to his racing heartbeat, feeling the vibration against her ear and temple. If Daniel was right… if actions _did_ speak louder than words… but then what if they were wrong? Or what if-

"Carter?" The feel of Jack's breath against the top of her forehead caused Sam to halt her tortuous musings. "I think we should…"

Sam pulled slowly away from Jack and raised her head so it was level with his, stopping him mid-sentence. He relaxed his grasp on her to allow her this movement, but didn't break contact – instead, he trailed his hands down her forearms until they were loosely holding hands while looking directly into each other's eyes.

"…get on with this…" Jack finally added, mesmerised as he was by her beautiful and yet apprehensive face.

Sam nodded stiffly and swallowed deliberately before opening her mouth, trying to coax the words out. "Sir, I don't know-d"

"Uh Carter?" Jack looked at her sensitively, stroking the back of her hands with his thumbs. "Think you can drop the sir?"

Sam dipped her head as she felt her face turn red, recovering enough to look up, she raised an eyebrow at him. "You're still calling me 'Carter'…" she challenged, happy to avoid the crux of the conversation for another few precious seconds.

"Yeah…" Jack tilted his head on one side, considering what she'd said, "But it's like a sign of affection – you'll notice I'm the _only_ one who calls you Carter and not Major or whatever… _lotsa _people, on the other hand, call _me_ 'sir'."

"Maybe," Sam chanced a nervous smile, "but I don't exactly say the word 'sir' to General Hammond in the same way I say it to you…"

"Huh." Jack raised both his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "I thought that was just my imagination…"

Sam shook her head slowly, indicating that in fact it hadn't been his imagination. Rather, those three letters, when addressed to Jack, had been laden with additional significance for some time now.

"Ok." Jack mulled over that for a while, before realising that they had gotten off-track. "So… Carter… um… I don't really know what you want…" He looked to her desperately, but saw she was in no better position to talk than he was. "But see… the thing is… Icouldn'thavedoneanyofthiswithoutyou." He rushed out in a flurry, dropping his head to look at his hands, marvelling at the fact that his fingers were now comfortably intertwined with hers. How such a thing could be possible he didn't know, but he was loathe to question it.

"That's not true." Sam whispered quietly.

"Yes it _is_." Jack insisted, looking straight at her again, heart pounding in his throat. "I'm not just talking about _this_." He looked around the cavern. "I mean _everything_… you have no _idea_ how despondent I was when the Stargate programme started-" he paused, thinking back to that first mission with Daniel, and then the subsequent reactivation of the Stargate by Apophis. "I don't know if I could've stuck with it without you…" he dropped his voice to little more than a whisper, "…and as we continue to fight, day in and day out…" he looked away, scrunching his face up with the effort of expressing himself so frankly. "More and more," he continued finally, "I know that I _need_ you… and not just for your excellent abilities as a soldier and scientist." He was now looking at her intently, silently pleading for her to feel the same way… to reassure him that he hadn't just made a huge mistake by laying it all bare.

Sam took a moment to digest what Jack had just said. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her by his words. Her mind spiralled out of control with the implications of what he'd said.

"So you still…? I was afraid…" Her voice was thick with emotion and her eyes filled with tears of relief as she saw him nod his head quickly in anticipation of her question. Feeling the irresistible urge to smile from ear to ear, Sam felt a grin form on her face as she raised a hand up to brush his coarse cheek with her thumb. "Thank god," she gushed quickly before closing the distance between them, urgently capturing his lips with hers.

Jack responded just as fiercely, clasping the back of her head, his fingers brushing through her silky blond hair. He lunged forward to deepen the kiss and they both sank to the ground, wrapping themselves in each other's body. He could feel his muscles shaking slightly with the sensation of touching her, feeling her against him, her body searing with heat.

He couldn't get enough of her, but realised at the same time that this was potentially not the time, nor the place, for such shenanigans. Apparently, Sam had had the same realisation, as she pulled away from him with some effort, gasping for oxygen after their long embrace.

"Yeah," Jack said, smiling tenderly while stroking her hair. "Gotta save the world, right?"

Sam merely nodded, still struggling to stop herself from closing the tantalisingly small space between them.

"For a human, you are surprisingly perceptive O'Neill." Baal had again arrived in the cavern and was now grinning at them in an infuriating manner.

Jack felt Sam reach for his hand, giving it a tight squeeze as they both quickly stood up. Despite his trepidation, he managed to keep it together enough to growl a response to the unwelcome visitor in the cavern. He moved so he was slightly in front of Sam, to hide her hand as it reached for the Tok'ra communicator device and turned it on.

"Oh yeah – I'm Mr. Perceptive." Jack glared at the goa'uld with hatred in his eyes. "Take you, for example," he challenged. "You're a pompous ass – and I can see it."

* * *

"Jonas Quinn!" Teal'c shouted over the ruckus that the scientists and technicians were creating in their futile attempts to interface with the Ancient-Asgard technology. When Jonas approached, Teal'c held up the Tok'ra communicator, a flicker of triumph appearing on his face. "Baal is once again in communication with O'Neill and Major Carter." He said 

Jonas listened to the device for a moment. He grinned when he heard Jack call Baal a 'pompous ass', and looked around for Stacey. The smile that had adorned his face faded away as he saw she was in deep – and probably painful – consultation with General Marty. Taking a deep breath, he gave the communicator back to Teal'c before heading over to them.

Stacey was trying to keep calm as she listened to General Marty's ill-informed point of view. "The fact of the matter is, Captain," he was saying, "We don't know just what these Yanks have done to piss off this _gould _thingy. For all we know, this could be all _their_ fault – and it's Australia that has to pay for their idiocy!"

Stacey took her time in formulating a response, clenching her fists tightly at her sides with frustration. "Sir," her voice was tight, "regardless of who's at _fault_ for the current situation – the consequences will extend a long way beyond our borders." She paused, hesitating, before deciding to proceed with her thought in spite of the consequences. "If these experts aren't allowed to do their jobs – if the PM forces them out before the job's done – then I'd say we're _all _doomed."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, General Marty." Jonas cut him off just as he was about to launch a tirade in Stacey's direction for insubordination. "I thought I should inform you. Baal is once again in communication with the Colonel," he motioned to where Teal'c was listening intently to the Tok'ra device. "We need to consult your satellite link-up with NASA to locate the Asgard."

General Marty looked at the deceptively-normal looking alien with caution. "I thought this Thor-guy knew when you guys were in communication?"

"Usually, yes." Jonas responded impatiently. "If he'd realised, I'm sure he'd already be here now. The fact that he's not probably means he's on the other side of the planet – hence the need to consult NASA's imagery of Earth's all-over orbit."

"I'll take care of it, sir." Stacey said with determination, already moving away from the still-baffled General. "The link-up is in the secondary site." She motioned down the path leading to the bottom of Uluru. About 200 metres below them was a small plateau where technological equipment that didn't fit at their current position had been set up.

They both walked briskly down the well-trod path towards the cluster of personnel, a sense of purpose and foreboding dampening the usually pleasant rapport that had developed between the two over such a short time.

"That General Marty's something else," Jonas said with incredulity once they were a safe distance away.

"He's a good base commander," Stacey shrugged. "I just don't think he was ready to admit the existence of aliens, let alone their presence in his backyard."

"_You're _dealing with it remarkably well though," Jonas looked at her shyly.

Stacey shrugged again. "Well you've gotta admit it explains a lot – the past couple of years have seen some weird shit going on in the atmosphere. The explanations given by NASA or whatever have always seemed a bit dodgy…" she looked at Jonas, smiling coyly. "I guess the existence of aliens just made sense – as if I already knew, and it was just confirmed by you guys."

"You should consider coming to work with us back at Cheyenne Mountain." Jonas returned his gaze straight ahead. They were now very close to the small collection of technology. "From what I hear you're a fine soldier – and we _definitely_ need open-minded people on our off-world teams." He looked at her quickly as they entered the tent equipped with the satellite link up. Her mouth and eyes were wide-open with shock. Laughing slightly, he patted her on the back as they crouched around the small laptop. "I take it you'd like that?"

All Stacey could do was nod, before the images on the computer in front of them forced her back to the task at hand.

* * *

"Are you now prepared to accept my deal?" Baal grinned snidely at Jack. 

"Yes, yes." Jack replied dismissively, before looking at the goa'uld questioningly. "What took you so long anyway? Got a little Asgard problem up there?"

"Not at all, O'Neill," Baal's eyes were almost twinkling, "Your _friend _Thor is currently chasing his own tail on the other side of your pitiful planet."

Sam saw the tension rising in Jack's body language, his muscles quivering slightly in his conscious effort to maintain his composure. Like him, she had now grown thoroughly tired with dealing with the System Lord, and decided to take the bull by the horns.

"Ok. We accept the deal." She said matter-of-factly. "You get Turramulli back in his cage, we get the naquada out, and you get to keep half of it."

"Ah ah ah!" Baal tsked at Sam, amusement in his eyes. "A nice try, Major, however I will be taking _all _the naquada with me."

"Fine, fine." Jack snapped, hoping they were conceiving a plan on the topside of Uluru to deal with Baal before he could get his claws on the naquada. "How do we lure Turramulli back into his cave?"

"Ah," Baal was triumphant. "It is so simple, even your puny minds should have been able to think of it – that the Asgard couldn't is a symptom of their contrived evolution."

Jack didn't say anything or even move. Baal seemed to be speaking in a different language. He looked sideways to Sam and saw that although she appeared deep in thought, she didn't know either.

"Well, maybe not." Said Baal, looking between the two members of SG1 in front of him. "Turramulli's host body has a great many strengths, as you have discovered." He was talking mainly to Sam. "It does, however, have a significant flaw." He paused for dramatic effect. "It's primitive hormonal function… specifically," he leaned forward slightly and spoke extra slowly – as if addressing a group of children. "Specifically _pheromonal_ reactions."

Jack looked from Sam to Baal and back to Sam again; better informed, but none the wiser. "_Phenomenal_ _reactions_?" he whispered to Sam, a look of complete confusion on his face.

"_Pheromone_, sir… not _phenomenon_," Sam whispered back at him while eying Baal carefully, trying to decide if he could be telling the truth. "Wouldn't the symbiote counter-act the beast's pheromonal production?" She asked him suspiciously.

"It is too primitive." Baal answered promptly. "Do you understand now?"

"_Nooo_, we don't!" Jack protested. "What the _hell _are you talking about! How do we lure Turramulli anywhere!"

"Me, sir." Sam said quickly, her steady voice belying the apprehension she felt at this realisation.

"Huh?" Jack was dumbstruck.

"The host will respond to female pheromones and follow _me_." She said in a voice that was getting smaller by the minute.

Jack's jaw dropped open in disbelief.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: So! We've got a horny beast! Hehehe I was going to put that line in their somewhere but I don't think even Jack would stoop that low when staring immense danger in the face._

_I did the whole 'TBC' thing here because I wanna save Jack's reaction for the next chapter… outrage might be an apt prediction. Also, I'm kinda curious as to what you think of Baal's 'suggestion' or 'help' or whatever… I got the idea from the whole 'Asgard don't have sex' thing… but yeah. Please review… as always re: the cheese factor (or "ship balance" as _kittn_ has christened a key aspect of my fic), but also the idea…_


	19. The final countdown

_A/N: I'm going to have to recruit some of you WONDERFUL reviewers to be my full-time cheersquad! Such an amazing response – thank you all so much!  
__Once again _Bekki_, you made my day! Glad you liked the line – I was quite proud!  
_Leanne_, glad you got a chance to read… from the news coverage we've got here, it honestly seemed like Rita was the slowest moving storm in history… it dominated the news for almost a week before anything that happened. Horrible hurricane season though – I've never seen anything like it. My heart goes out to all affected…  
_Dietcokechic_, when you get up to this, thanks for your belated reviews!  
__Of course thanks to everyone else, _BookWorm, Trtlsoup, kittn, silver, stargatefan _(for being consistent!)… ooh and I'm sorry but my internet's playing up and I can't check to see who else reviewed! I thank you all anyway!_

_Important note: _sdf_, yeah I know you're right about the pheromone thing. I'm going to be taking some poetic licence, but I do **kinda **address it below._

_Now as you read this title, you have to do the synthesiser riff from the song by 'Europe'… _

**Chapter XIX – The Final Countdown **

* * *

"Ok, now that's just the _STUPIDEST _thing I've _ever_ heard in my life!" Jack's voice was squeaky high in his shocked amazement. He turned to Baal accusingly. "You actually expect us to believe that the secret not even the _Asgard_ could figure out is sex-appeal!" he almost laughed as he considered how ridiculous this was sounding. "I mean, for crying out loud – it's _bigfoot_! Wouldn't it be more likely to follow _Mrs. Bigfoot_, and not Carter!" 

Baal looked down his nose at O'Neill, condescending as ever. "In fact originally the Ancients _did_ use a female of Turramulli's species to lure him into his enclosure. Unfortunately none now exist." He snorted in Sam's direction, looking at her with distaste. "Major Carter _may _be an acceptable specimen for a human, but she is _still_ only a human – the beast will have to settle for second best."

At this comment Jack thought he was going to leap six feet in the air he was so outraged. He saw Sam trying to tell him to leave it alone, but that wasn't going to happen. "An _acceptable_ specimen!" he was wide-eyed in disbelief. "Are you _NUTS?_! Carter's one of the best-looking women in the _galaxy_!" he paused for a moment as Sam pointed wildly towards the ceiling. Damn, he thought. Half the Air Force is going to hear about _that _comment. "Besides," a second issue with Baal's suggestion had occurred to him, "this means you don't even _know_ if you hair-brained scheme is going to work! For all we know he's not going to buy it!"

"That is, of course, a risk." Baal smiled enigmatically. "But I have no qualms about sending you dear Major Carter to her death."

At these words, Jack finally lost it and lashed out, ignoring the fact that Baal wasn't actually there. He swung his arms wildly through the holographic image, only becoming more enraged as the sound of Baal's deep laughter taunted his ears.

"Sir!" Sam shouted for what seemed like the twentieth time. Finally, Jack stopped trying to inflict injury on the hologram, and turned to look at her, the exhaustion and indignation combining in his facial expression. "Sir," she began again, more quietly this time. "We have to give it a try if we want to safely get out of here."

Jack ignored the sound of Baal's continuing chuckles and took a step closer to Sam so they were standing face to face. "NO WAY!" Jack was convinced that it wasn't going to happen. "I am not putting you in that position – there's _got_ to be another way." He'd turned his head and was almost pleading with Baal as he said those last words.

"Sir, if the Ancients and the Asgard couldn't find another way, I'd be pretty sure this is our best bet." Sam had reached her arm out to turn Jack's face back to look at hers, trying to assuage his fears. "Besides, you'll have control of the orb – you can beam me out of harm's way anytime you want."

Jack had forgotten about the orb. It was true he'd have control, and he'd sure as hell have control what with Carter in danger – his emotions could probably power the whole Eastern seaboard of the States at the moment. He leaned in to Sam, quickly looking furtively around at Baal who was now looking at them smugly. "But d'you _really_ trust 'His Royal Camp-ness'? I mean, he might just be trying to separate us so that Turramulli can kill us easier…"

Sam grasped Jack's hand urgently, looking directly into his eyes, her face just as full of concern as his was. "I know. But if Fodor and Thor really have no idea, then we either stay here and die, or try Baal's idea to get out."

"Ok." Jack's voice was shaky, but he tried to steel himself for the task at hand. "Let's just hope good ole Mr. Hairy-Pillock isn't gay…"

* * *

Thor beamed down to stand next to Teal'c at the precise moment that everyone within earshot of the Tok'ra communication device had stopped in their tracks, stunned and silent. Thinking it was his sudden appearance that had caused such a reaction, Thor began to make apologies. Upon hearing Jack's irate voice squawking out of the communicator, however, he realised that Baal's 'help' had in fact been the cause. 

With the others, he stood silently and listened for a second before returning to his ship and properly scanning the surrounding area in orbit. Quickly enough, he found Baal's ship and hailed it.

"This is Supreme High Commander Thor of the Asgard." His voice was calm but chilling at the same time. "Your presence here is in violation of the agreed protection treaty between the Goa'uld and the Asgard. If you do not leave immediately I will be forced to take action."

"This is Kee'tel, loyal servant of Lord Baal." The combative voice came back over the system. "My Lord's jurisdiction knows no bounds. He will do as he wishes."

"I warn you again," Thor persisted. "Unless you surrender or leave this solar system, I will be forced to take action."

There was no response. Mindful of Sam's words warning him not to compromise Baal while he still may of use to them, he fired warning shots at the cargo vessel before firing one directly at the vessel, targeting non-essential systems. He was satisfied to finally get a response from the ship.

"This is Lord Baal." The flustered voice came through. "I wish to know the reason for this unprovoked attack."

"As I have explained already," Thor replied patiently. "Your presence here is in violation of the treaty signed between the Asgard and the System Lords of the goa'uld."

"You are mistaken," Baal's snide voice replied promptly. "I have no intention of causing harm to the Tau'ri. I am here to reclaim some valuable ore that was stolen many years ago."

"And yet you have threatened Colonel O'Neill with the destruction of his world unless he provides you with the naquada you seek." Thor's logic was infallible.

"You would take the word of that human ball of sarcasm over mine?" Baal sounded incredulous. "I never said any such thing."

"I regret that I am not inclined to believe you." Thor said. "I must insist that you relinquish your vessel to my control to ensure no violation of the treaty." Before Baal had the chance to say or do anything, Thor manipulated the discs on the panel in front of him and a containment field extended from the underbelly of his ship to fully surround the smaller Goa'uld vessel.

Baal's indignant voice soon came booming over the communication system. "What is the meaning of this unprovoked action!" he roared.

"As I have told you, Baal," Thor wasn't at all fazed by the System Lord's anger, "you are in violation of signed treaty and I will detain you until such time that I am certain your cooperation is no longer required. You will then be compelled to leave this sector."

Thor deactivated the transmission and blocked any further incoming communication from the cargo vessel. He reassured himself that everything was in order, and beamed down to the surface once more.

* * *

Jack and Sam had both been shocked by Baal's sudden departure. "What, no farewell? Goodluck? Nothing?" Jack had walked over to where Baal had disappeared from and now shrugged at Sam, puffing his cheeks out. Seeing the look of apprehension on her face, he was heavily brought back to the task at hand. "I still don't like this," he said seriously, looking at her carefully, "we can explore other options… there's no real rush." 

"That would not be wise." Fodor's voice made them both jump slightly. He was sitting up in the pod and now got out of it altogether and stood, his head barely as high as Sam's shoulder. "If one goa'uld has rediscovered the Turramulli legend, there could be others. The significant knowledge of the Ancients this Baal possesses is cause for concern – we must leave this place and remove the naquada."

"Did you hear Baal's _suggestion_ though!" Jack appealed to the Asgard. "It's INSANE… tell me you've got another idea!"

"I am sorry to say I do not. I believe, however, that his plan has a better chance of success than you might think." Fodor blinked in a way so reminiscent of Thor that Jack wondered whether they were related.

"How so?" The nervousness hadn't disappeared from Sam's voice, but she was encouraged by Fodor's words.

"Turramulli has not been in stasis for all these years as I have," Fodor inclined his head in Sam's direction. "He has been in hibernation for some of this time, granted, but has a very real notion of the term of his imprisonment." Fodor looked passed them to the monster, who was dejectedly trying to bore a hole in the wall of the cave. "He may well pursue any being that is physically attainable out of frustration and hunger."

Jack shook his head, grimacing slightly. "That's still not what I want to hear…" he looked at Fodor, almost pleading to be wrong. "I guess Carter still has to be the bait?"

Fodor nodded deliberately. "It is essential that you remain in control via the Orb, O'Neill."

"Ok." Jack nodded, while sinking to the ground to gather his strength – mental as much as physical. He looked up at Carter, who seemed caught between her desire to get the job over and done with, and her wish to just settle on the ground next to him and forget about the mission. Jack saw her indecision, and smiled weakly at her. "We should talk to Teal'c and Jonas." He stated simply, pointing to the Tok'ra device.

* * *

"Teal'c? Jonas?" Sam's voice came loudly through the communicator, shocking those surrounding it, as they had been leaning in close to hear the goings on in the cavern. "You get all that?" 

"Indeed Major Carter we are aware of the difficult mission you must undertake," Teal'c replied soberly. "Thor has detained Baal's ship in orbit, he wishes to know whether you have of him that which you require."

"Hopefully," Sam replied. "But we should keep him in custody in case there are any problems – we might be able to persuade him to help."

"I agree Major Carter," Thor had stepped passed the panic-stricken General Marty to take hold of the communicator. "I wish to add my best wishes, as does General Hammond."

"Thanks Thor," Jack's raucous tones came through the transmission. "Next time you speak to him, could you make sure he taped The Simpsons for me last night?"

Thor looked to those around him in confusion. Stacey, who had returned to the site with Jonas just as Thor reappeared on the rock, stifled a giggle. Even General Marty cracked a smile, surprising the assorted foreigners and aliens who had come to know him over the past day or so.

"I will… try…" Thor replied evasively, still unsure as to why everyone seemed so amused.

"Colonel O'Neill?" General Marty had swallowed his fear and tentatively reached a hand out to ask Thor for the communication device. His hand was still shaking with the effort, but his voice remained steady.

"General," Jack's voice was guarded, but polite.

"Colonel, I realise I am _waay _out of my depth here," the General began, "but I just wanted to thank you for all you've done for us. I think we got off on the wrong foot before, and I look forward to meeting you when this is all over."

"Why thank you sir," Jack sounded pleasantly surprised, "Ditto to you guys up there."

* * *

Jack finished speaking to the General, who was sounding _much_ more understanding than he had been a couple of hours earlier, and turned the communicator off. 

"Sir, don't you think-?"

"Yeah Carter, relax, I'll turn it back on in a sec." He looked quickly to Fodor, who was standing quietly to the side of them. "Would you excuse us a sec Fodor?" He nodded in gratitude as the Asgard turned around, moving to study the wall of the cavern.

Jack moved closer to Sam and reached his hand up to cup her cheek. "I still don't like this," he murmured, his breath brushing over her nose. "We can find another way…"

Sam shook her head slightly, angling her cheek so it nuzzled slightly into his palm. "I'll be safe," she insisted quietly. "You'll be watching my six from here."

Jack sighed, looking down to try and gather strength. "Ok," He whispered, before placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "Tell me when you're ready." With a supreme effort, he moved away from Sam, gave the Tok'ra communicator to Fodor, and took up his position in front of the orb.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok, I know I was stalling a bit with this chap, but my head needs time to figure out the action sequences in their entirety before I start writing them! Never fear, I know how it all ends, it's just working out the 'getting there' part so that it's done thoroughly…_

_You all know what I'm going to ask… I hope you can find the time!_


	20. Cut to the chase

_A/N: Ok! It's been ages! I have had this part written for a good five days now, but didn't want to post until I had the following chapter ready - you'll understand when you get to the end._

_Thanks to those who reviewed… _BookWorm_, Baal's only got a cargo ship up there. Thor has one of his kick-ass Asgard ships. That's all there is going on in orbit. Sorry if it wasn't clear – I always forget that you guys can't actually read my mind!  
Thanks also to _Natters _who wrote a whole series of reviews! And also _ArrantSchemata_: glad you're back in the land of technology! Thanks for the encouragement as always! _

_Here goes... the action's on…_

**Chapter XX – Cut to the chase **

* * *

Jonas sat nervously on the edge of the cleared area on top of Uluru, clasping the Tok'ra communicator device, praying for the best. It had been deactivated from the other side, which worried him slightly. 

"Do not be concerned, Jonas Quinn." Teal'c stood stoically to his left. "O'Neill would not embark on this task without adequate communication to the surface."

"But then-?" Jonas began, concern evident in his voice.

"He will reactivate the device." Teal'c restated, looking off into the distance.

As much as Jonas wanted to believe him, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the communicator, willing it to spring to life. His eyes lost their focus as he sat there, and he was startled by the slight pressure of a hand on his arm. Looking sideways, he saw Stacey had sat down next to him, her unruly hair brushing slightly against his shoulder.

"So this is what it's like eh?" She asked nonchalantly, keeping her tone light. "Not exactly a stress-free job…"

"Yeh…" Jonas laughed bitterly, shaking his head. He hadn't been with the people of Earth for long, but already he was learning that nothing they did was ever easy. The curse of fighting the good fight, battling against all odds. "It's worth it though," he added, more to reassure himself than anyone else. He glanced up at her, his hand still clenching at the communicator desperately. "You still think you'd like to be part of it?"

"Well, like you said," Stacey didn't need to think before answering, "it's worth it." She looked ahead, contemplating the possibilities. "All the conflicts and wars here on Earth seem so… fruitless… and all the more _horrifying_, knowing what's really out there." She pointed to the sky. "We're killing each _other_, and you guys are trying to save us all from annihilation." She shook her head dolefully. "I love my country, but I'd prefer to be fighting _for _the people of Earth, not against them." She looked at Jonas with hope, hope that she had thought lost in a world of war and terrorism.

Jonas nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't been on Earth for long, but futile conflict wasn't an unknown phenomenon to him. "Well I'm serious when I say you should come back to the SGC." He smiled at her tentatively. "I don't have that much clout, but I'm sure your government would be keen to have someone in the Stargate Programme – and they could probably persuade the Joint Chiefs to let you in."

"When _this _is all over." Stacey said, nodding towards the Tok'ra communicator.

"Yeah." Jonas visibly deflated as he redirected his concentration on the ominously silent device. "When this is all over."

* * *

"Ok Fodor," Jack's voice wavered as he turned to the alien. His hands were inches away from the orb, inches away from executing a plan that scared him more than he could admit. "How do we go about this?" 

Fodor held the communicator up briefly, turning it on when he received a nod of approval from both Sam and Jack. "As you have already experienced," he began slowly, for th ebeneift of everyone listening outside "the orb allows you to control every aspect of this space. You can transport Major Carter to any place in the myriad of caves and tunnels without jeopardising the shield around this cavern. You can guide her to Turramulli's containment area using a visual depiction of the area and the system-wide communication system."

"Ok… a map… let's see." Jack placed his hands on the orb and concentrated on a map. A map of the caves and tunnels linking them. Almost immediately, there was a green mist centred around the orb against the ceiling which swirled in a clockwise direction before settling into a complex image. Jack looked at it helplessly. "Riiiiiight," he murmured, his eyes losing focus in face of the incomprehensible image. "Perhaps something a little simpler, zoomed in to the areas we need."

As soon as he had said the words, the image zoomed in to show first the cavern they were in, with red dots depicting all life forms in an around it, before following the tunnel that Turramulli was in, swerving left and right, until it reached a smaller cave, colour-coded orange. "That's the containment cave?" Jack asked Fodor, not taking his eyes of the image for a moment.

"Yes." Fodor said. "It is some distance from our current position."

"Yeah…" Sam breathed, awestruck by the images floating above their heads. "I'd say about 500 metres." She glanced at Jack, who was concentrated on the map, which was now stuck in a loop depicting the route Sam should take to get to Turramulli's cave. She knew he would have great difficulty in executing the plan. There was no way he'd normally subject any of his team to the danger that she was about to face, but there really wasn't any other way for the moment.

All three of them were now silent, contemplating their plan. Sam finally couldn't stand it any longer – either they were going to do this or she was going to self-combust from anxiety. "Sir," she adopted her most forceful voice. "I'm ready." She squared her stance and poised herself, P-90 firmly attached, for the run of her life. "We have to do this now."

Jack closed his eyes briefly and then opened them to look at Sam. "Sam," he said uncertainly, "I just…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. He should say something, but 'good luck' didn't quite seem to cover it. Also, he wanted to let her know how he felt, to tell her that he'd do anything for her, that he hated this plan, that it should be _him_ who was risking life and limb… Instead, he just looked at her helplessly.

"I know." Sam nodded at him grimly. "But we _have_ to do this."

Jack looked at her one last time. He mouthed 'good luck' to her before looking straight into the orb and concentrating with all his might on transporting Sam to the end of the tunnel Turramulli was currently in. Once she arrived, she'd have to make sure he'd seen her before tearing off in the other direction. If he caught her… Jack didn't want to think about it. The notion of Sam being caught filled him with such great fear, though, that he felt the power extending out from the orb grow exponentially.

"This is about saving Sam." He murmured to himself, so quietly that no-one else could hear. The realisation that everything he was doing was for her above all, meant that suddenly he _was _part of Uluru, the orb an extension of his mind. There was no pain like before. The roles were now reversed. He wasn't trying to channel the power of the orb anymore. Instead, every inch of his considerable mental resolve was flowing _into_ it. He opened his eyes just as Sam disappeared in a flash of purple light.

* * *

Sam had seen the change in Jack just before she'd found herself outside the main cavern. He'd opened his eyes to reveal a strange presence within – his pupils had turned a dark shade of purple as he concentrated intently. Before she could become concerned however, a bright purple engulfed her, wind roaring in her ears, before she was suddenly relocated to the tunnel outside the cavern, surrounded by silence. 

"Ok Carter can you hear me?" Jack's voice boomed around the tunnel, as if emanating from every imperfection in the rock surfaces.

"Yes sir," Sam looked to the end of the tunnel where she could see the unmistakable aqua colour of the shield blocking the path into the main cavern. The colourful barrier was obscured in part by a large figure, a figure she knew to be Turramulli. As soon as she spoke, the monster whirled around on the spot in surprise before moving towards her.

"Wonk, wonk, wonk." Turramulli's movements were heralded by the eerie noise echoing throughout the cave structure.

Sam didn't waste any time waiting for instructions from Jack. She turned and ran, heading in the only direction available to her. She knew the monster was getting closer – the terrifying noise of his loping gait seemed to be closer every second, but she didn't dare look back.

"Ok, take a left and then a right at the next two forks." Jack's voice seemed strangely calm and businesslike as it infused through the tunnels. The sense of control steeled Sam's resolved as she ran, convinced that this was going to work. It didn't matter whether he was chasing her for the pheromones or the fact that she was a moving target – as long as he followed all the way to the cave.

A fork came in the tunnel and Sam took the leftmost branch as Jack had instructed. She heard the strange thud of Turramulli's arm brushing against the wall as he pursued her. Chancing a look back, she saw the expression of hunger on the monster's horrible face and felt the adrenaline running through her system have a stronger affect. The mere sight of him had been enough to propel her faster.

Sam looked back in front of her a fraction of a second too late. She had lingered on the terrifying image of Turramulli too long to realise that she was about to run headlong into the wall separating two tunnels that branched off towards her left. A sharp rock jutting out of the wall hit her directly in the joint of her shoulder under her collarbone. She cried out, blinding momentarily with the pain, but blundered onwards, her arm outstretched to avoid running into any other obstacles.

"NO Sam!" Jack's voice bellowed, now anything but calm. "You had to go down the _right_hand tunnel!"

Sam stopped short, and whirled around. Turramulli was still about a hundred metres away from the fork, but moving much faster than she. She bit her bottom lip to try and stifle the growing agony emanating from her right shoulder and ran back towards the fork, swinging around to enter the correct tunnel just ahead of Turramulli. She could now feel the shuddering of the ground as he charged behind her. If anything, he seemed to have quickened his pace since her injury, no doubt smelling the blood that was oozing through her clothes.

"Ok. Good. Hurry up though – he's just behind you!" Jack shouted. "Go left at the next one and it's all the way at the end. You're only about 100 metres away!"

Sam propelled herself forwards with renewed force at Jack's words. Only a hundred metres. She hoped it would be enough. Turramulli was now so close she could feel the foul warmth of his ragged breathing against the back of her neck. Once or twice she thought she felt the scraping of his claws against her back, but didn't dare look around to see how close he was.

Finally reaching the tunnel that led to Turramulli's prison, Sam veered to her left and continued her sprint down the tunnel. Her chest now heaving and muscles protesting wildly to the exertion, but they showed no signs of failing her. Feeling the closeness of Turramulli behind her – the _wonk, wonk, wonk _noise was now booming through her ears – she put on a final burst of energy only to feel herself yanked backwards as a razor sharp claw sliced into her back. Turramulli had finally caught up to her, but Sam didn't slow her pace. She continued trying to run at full speed, ignoring the sensation of tearing flesh as Turramulli hooked his claw into her back and tried to hold her back.

It was an agonising battle of wills. The monster did not want to go back into the cave, but didn't want to let Sam go either. He had a hold of her that would normally make anyone give up and collapse to the ground, but despite the chilling feel of being ripped open from behind, Sam pressed on. She was still moving forward, albeit at a _much _slower and more painful pace.

"SAM!" Jack's voice came through the cavern, sounding petrified. "I'm getting you outta there!"

"NO sir!" Sam's voice was strangled as she fought the waves of pain that went searing up into her neck, it was is if her back were on fire. "I'm nearly there – just a… few… more… _feet_." She managed to grunt the last word out as finally she reached the entrance to Turramulli's cave and launched herself into the small space. The monster, still attached to her by the claw that was now firmly embedded in one of her muscles, came crashing down behind her and they both lay sprawled on the cold stone floor.

The weight of Turramulli's body landed with full force on top of Sam, driving his sharp claws further into her back and knocking her head into the hard ground. As she slipped into unconsciousness, she heard an almighty roar that sounded more like Jack than it did the monster. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness entirely was a bright purple light.

* * *

_A/N: Ok, d'you all see now why I didn't want to leave it here without having written the next part? I couldn't be sure that I'd be able to update quickly (my thesis is now due at the end of THIS WEEK, so my life is a smidge busy at the moment)... so I thought I'd not be mean and give you an indefinite cliffhanger! Instead, I'm goign to post the next chapter mere MINUTES after I've posted this one! Aren't I nice?_

_Oh and there IS a reason why we had the Jonas/Stacey conversation going on there… you'll just have to wait and see!_


	21. Pure white

_A/N: I couldn't leave you all hanging, so here's this chapter, posted just MINUTES after the last one! After this Herculean effort, I hope you can find the time to review!_

_Warning for some language in this one._

**Chapter XXI – Pure white**

* * *

Fodor looked on in a mix of intrigue and horror as Sam's body reappeared before them, bloodied and battered. She was unconscious, and there was a worrying amount of blood oozing from a deep gash on her back. It looked as Turramulli had literally hooked onto her through her clothes. 

Jack still hadn't had any reaction to Sam's arrival in the cavern, he was intensely concentrated, the images flying above their heads a witness to what he was doing. He could see Turramulli in his cave suddenly lift himself up from the ground in indignation as he realised that Sam was no longer within his clutches.

"You're trapped, you sonofabitch!" Jack spat out as imbued the orb with renewed power to reconstitute the shield that had held Turramulli within his prison for so many thousands of years. A low rumbling filled the cavern and an almighty roar sounded from Turramulli's cave as the monster realised he had been tricked.

There was only one thought on Jack's mind as he finished the task at hand – helping Sam. He had discovered the true potential of the orb – it was limited only by his mental will. His focus on Sam was overriding all his actions, and made the effectiveness of his manipulations of the technology all the more forceful. He knew the extent of her injuries, and they filled him with fear. He hated what they'd had to do, but now he had only one thing on his mind: to fix it.

Ignoring the straining pain that was slowly encompassing his entire body through effort, he put his full force into helping Sam. _Heal her_. He ordered the orb. Keeping his eyes open but losing none of his concentration, he saw the fruit of his labour and opened his mouth wide as what appeared to be a cushion of white light appeared underneath Sam's lifeless body and lifted her off the ground. She was now floating mid-air, in front of him. He could see the cuts and bruising on her shoulder, but the real concern was the deep gash across her back, which was oozing with red blood. The shock of seeing her like that didn't compromise his resolve, however, as he re-issued his mental order to the orb: _heal her. _

Sam's body started rotating slowly on the cushion of bright white light and Fodor watched in awe as the wounds that had seemed so fatal only seconds before started to heal at an accelerated rate. The scratches on her shoulder disappeared and the bruising faded to leave her skin the same porcelain colour it had originally been. The most astonishing effect was on the gash in her back. As if being closed by a zipper, he saw first the muscle, which had been visible, reintegrate to a whole, before her skin was rejoined, layer by layer, until all that was left was the blood on her skin – a mere reminder of the near-fatal injury that had befallen the brave human warrior.

Sam's body stopped rotating and the cloud of white light slowly descended back towards the floor of the cavern, placing her gently on the ground. Jack was still focussed on the orb as she sat up slowly, looking around wide-eyed. She seemed completely disoriented.

Turramulli still had not stopped roaring, and the sound of his fury resounded in all their ears, causing the cavern to shake. It seemed as if every molecule, atom, and particle was reverberating with the sound of the monster's wrath.

* * *

Sandra Sully was shocked out of her light slumber by the low rumbling of the earth. She raced out of the trailer to see the other journalists of various media outlets standing in the no-man's land between the military barrier and the road leading to Uluru. The earth had started shaking, more violently than the day before, and the intense earthquake was accompanied by an awe-inspiring light show. Uluru itself seemed to be glowing various colours, the trademark ochre-red to a strange purple, and finally a bright white light, reminiscent of depictions of heaven. She glanced at her watch, it was 2am. 

She was shaken out of her paralysis in front of the phenomenon by the frenzied activity that was occurring in the other camps. She ran backwards, not daring to take her eyes of Uluru, and grabbed the phone.

"Steve! You've gotta get me on air – NOW" She shot a look at Gavin who, to his credit, had reached for the camera and was already filming the phenomenon. "Jeez I dunno!" She roared into the phone with exasperation. "Suffice to say it looks like a 70s disco out here, and we've got another massive earthquake!" She could barely hear the sound of Steve's sleepy voice over the din. The rumblings of the Earth now seemed to be drowned out by an almighty roar, like the sound of rumbling thunder, but a thousand times stronger. Finally receiving the go-ahead from a lethargic Steve, she faced the camera and nodded to Gavin.

"I'm standing in front of Uluru," she shouted into the microphone, hoping that she would be audible to the sound-guys receiving the signal back in Sydney. "Where yet again there is a worrying earthquake underway, accompanied by what seems to be the sound of intense thunder, although there are no clouds present."

She ducked instinctively as the white light that had been localised on top of Uluru now stretched out from the rock in a great flash before receding into itself, leaving them in darkness once more. The roaring sound of thunder had not disappeared, although the shaking of the Earth was no longer.

"What you are now seeing on your screen," she screamed into the microphone, "occurred just minutes ago here, where we were woken up by a low rumbling." She looked at the image on Gavin's side screen, once again gobsmacked by the spectacle. "It appears that Uluru was illuminated from within with a kaleidoscope of colours, ending in the fantastic flash of light that you just witnessed live." She paused, wondering what on Earth she could say about the situation. "We do not know if there is any danger here, although the heavy military presence – both US and Australian – would indicate that the situation is very serious indeed." Gavin indicated that she was back on screen and she addressed the camera, trying not to look to scared. "We will be searching for answers as best as we can in the hours to come. It appears as if the initially curious closure of Uluru to the public had a very specific reason – one that had nothing whatsoever to do with a simple tourist accident."

She made the cut signal by waving her fingers under her chin and turned once more to look at Uluru, which appeared only as a shadowy outline against the pitch-black sky. She could see lights towards the top, where it was known the military had set up whatever they were doing, and through binoculars could see frenzied action amongst the men and women up there.

"What the fuck was all that about?" Gavin had moved next to her and made her jump with his comment. The thunder had not stopped, but was now reminiscent of a low wailing.

"I have absolutely no idea." Her voice was breathless as possibilities raced through her mind, "But I think we have to actually entertain the conspiracy theories now – nothing the government's spitting out can explain what just happened."

* * *

"Colonel O'Neill!" Teal'c barked into the tok'ra communicator, trying in vain to raise his voice enough to be heard over the din. "Major Carter! Do you read?" The intense earthquake had knocked everyone to the ground, and those most concerned with Sam and Jack's fate were now kneeling around the Tok'ra device in a huddle, holding onto each other for support. 

"This is Fodor," the calm voice came strangely clearly over the receiver. "Turramulli is again contained, but Major Carter sustained some injuries. Colonel O'Neill has taken care of them and is now occupying himself with her wellbeing."

"But they're ok?" Jonas' worried voice strained as he yelled into the receiver.

"Yes I believe that to be the case," Fodor said, "we will be in contact when they have both recovered."

No-one thought to protest as the communication device again went silent, for at that moment Thor again appeared in the middle of the pack, accompanied by the now familiar flash of bright light.

"Oh great, as if we haven't already given the media enough of a light show tonight." General Marty grumbled under his breath. He had been keeping a careful eye on the activity down at ground level and the lights blinking in the distance had grown all the more intense once the activity had begun. By now the entire world would have witnessed the light show that accompanied Jack and Sam's escapade underground. "Couldn't they have been more subtle?" he added to himself, raising his eyes to the sky as he asked the question.

"I take it by the activity visible even from my vantage point in orbit, that Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were successful?" Thor hadn't taken any notice of General Marty's demonstrable annoyance with the situation. He directed his attention to Jonas, Teal'c and Stacey instead.

"You are correct, Thor." Teal'c bowed slightly in welcome to the Asgard. "Turramulli is contained, however it appears Major Carter was perhaps injured in the process. Fodor assures us that she is being treated."

Thor nodded knowingly. "Yes, if O'Neill has truly gauged the power of the cavern he will have been able to treat almost any injury that could have befallen Major Carter."

Stacey's eyes seemed to pop out of her head at these words. "Are you kidding?" Her screechy voice was easily audible over the low roar of thunder that still filled their ears. "Technology like that – this could be the discovery of all time, imagine no more disease!" She turned to Jonas, her eyes showing the excitement she felt.

General Marty clicked his tongue impatiently, looking from one person to the other. "That's all well and good," he growled aggressively, "but when are we going to be able to finish with all this insanity?" He glared at Teal'c, challenging the Jaffa to come up with some answers. "When can we get the bodies of those officers up here? What about this so-called _naquada_ stuff? Has everyone forgotten why we're actually here?"

Teal'c bristled at the tone of voice the General used. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Thor was slightly taken aback, his eyes widening slightly as he waited to see what the Jaffa's response would be. "Indeed no-one has forgotten any of those factors, General Marty." Teal'c moved menacingly closer to the Aussie, his nostrils flaring as he glared into the man's eyes. "However I believe it prudent to await O'Neill's instructions on all these matters."

"Sir, I believe it would be useful to deal with the media down at the base of the rock for the moment." Stacey added hastily, sensing the danger of the situation brewing between the two. "At the very least we should get in contact with Stargate Command, and I believe you would be best placed to do that." She waited with bated breath as General Marty considered what she had just said. Thankfully, she saw he agreed with her. He strode off towards the communications tent that had been erected further down Uluru, and the remaining people around the transportation site breathed a sigh of relief.

"I take it there is no reason for Baal to remain present in Earth's orbit?" Thor looked to Jonas and Teal'c.

"I believe not." Teal'c replied sagely. "However we cannot be sure he will refrain from mounting a large-scale attack for the naquada present."

"I will escort him out of the solar system and then return to monitor Earth for the time being." Thor nodded in recognition of the possibility. "However I do not think he has at this time the capability to mount an attack against Earth – otherwise he would have come in a much larger vessel."

"Let's hope he's right." Jonas said to no-one in particular as Thor once again disappeared from Uluru. "Baal _did_ hold up his end of the bargain."

"You are mistaken, Jonas Quinn." Teal'c commented gravely. "For Baal there was never any bargain. His one aim was to gain access to the store of naquada rumoured to be within the cave-network of Uluru. Given the chance, he would have attacked to attain his goal. We must be sure he does not."

* * *

Sam sat up slowly, trying to understand where she was and what exactly had happened. Something felt wrong. There was no longer a searing pain in her back and neck. Her shoulder no longer felt as if had been hit by a blunt weapon. Looking down she saw to her shock that apart from the blood stains on her BDUs, there was no sign of injury at all. Reaching around the brush her hand against her back, she felt there too, was no sign of injury except the slightly sticky remnants of the blood that now cakes her clothes. 

She thought initially that the roar in her ears must have been an after-effect of the injuries, but noticed quickly enough that she felt no nausea, ho headache, nor indeed any grievance at all. The roar that seemed to permeate through every inch in her being was that of Turramulli. Looking up to see Jack still focussed on the orb she realised what had happened – they'd done it.

She looked over to Fodor who had just finished speaking into the Tok'ra communicator. He deactivated the device and started walking slowly towards her. As he did so, the curtain of aqua light that had covered the walls of the cavern seemed to flow down to the ground before disappearing altogether, leaving the original bluish light that had greeted her when she first arrived all those hours ago.

"I am going to verify the status of the materials in my cave before checking on the naquada store." Fodor said calmly as he approached her. "We cannot be sure of where Turramulli ventured before discovering your presence here in the cavern."

Sam nodded mechanically, her mouth still wide open as she took in the situation. "Jack?" She managed to ask, her eyes flitting between Fodor and her CO, who was still grasping the orb.

"He has invested his entire psyche in the Ancient technology." Fodor sighed as he looked to the Colonel. "He has seen the very core of the Ancient's knowledge and may be somewhat disoriented when he distances himself from the orb. But I am certain he will recover." Fodor added the last sentence hastily, seeing the look of alarm on Sam's face.

At that moment, Jack slowly pulled his arms away from the orb before sinking to the ground, a look of pure bewilderment on his face. Sam quickly scrambled to her knees and closed the couple of metres that had been separating them to be at his side. She didn't even notice as Fodor exited the now unshielded cavern to explore the cave-network for any signs of damage or compromise.

Jack's mind was running at such speed that he couldn't focus on any one thing. The power that he had just harnessed and in essence _encompassed_ was still evident in a strange residual effect which caused his entire body to buzz, as if wired. His vision was blurred and all he could really make out was the persistent twinkles of iridescent blue. There was a silhouette directly in front of him but for the moment he couldn't make out anything other than that.

As he regained his forces, the memories of what had just happened came flooding back to his conscious mind. Sam running from Turramulli, Sam caught by Turramulli. He couldn't help himself from gulping at the memory of this before he remembered that he had healed her – miraculously – and secured Turramulli in his cave. They had done it. The real world came crashing down around him at this realisation and his senses all at once returned to normal. The silhouette in front of him was abruptly crystallised and he realised with joy that Sam – alive and well, albeit with some blood stains on her clothes – was sitting in front of him.

Without waiting for her to speak, indeed without speaking to her, he lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into him, kissing her with such fierceness that he heard a surprised noise squeak from her lips. The surprise didn't last long though, as she returned the sentiment with force, both of them now revelling in the touch of the other, realising that it was over – they'd managed to re-contain Turramulli without anyone else being killed.

"Oh god I thought… when I saw… then I heard… I wasn't sure…" Jack was gasping the words in between frantic kisses.

"I know… then I saw you… you were so far away… but you're back…" Sam was speaking in the same haphazard way, at the same time as Jack.

Suddenly they both stopped, realising that neither had been able to understand what the other had said. They sat back momentarily on their heels and just looked at each other, before both bursting into a fit of giggles at the same time. Neither knew why, but the intense feeling of relief just overcame them and they succumbed to its power, riding the wave of laughter.

As Sam finally managed to stop laughing, she looked at Jack again through watery eyes. Reaching her hand up she brushed it against his arm, marvelling at the fact that they were there, together, and that everything looked like it was going to be ok. He clasped her hand where it was with his, and they looked at each other intently for some time, not saying a word – there was no need.

Finally, Jack broke their contact and looked around the cave, relieved to see that the walls had returned to their original bluish colour. "So we did it." He said with wonder, casting his eye all around before looking at Sam again.

"Yes sir." She grinned back at him.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok. So there you have it! But there are still lingering questions, are there not? What about the naquada? Is Baal really gone? Will Anubis rock up? This story's not quite over yet…(oh and I'm going to have to deal with the Sam/Jack thing as well... they have to go back into the real world... hmmm)_

_Please review! I've made a massive effort with these two chapters so I hope it shows through!_


	22. Cover story

_A/N: I'VE FINISHED MY THESIS AND HANDED IT IN!_

_You have no idea how wonderful this feels… that damned thing ruled my life for the past 9 months and now it's all over! Très mucho molto exciting! (needed three languages to express it – it's so exciting!)  
__Hopefully I'll be able to post more often, and since I'm getting near then end now I'm really exciting about writing it – it's all planned out! Mind you, not all my course work is finished… I've got an essay due tomorrow, a 30 minute presentation in 10 days and a 5000 word essay due in a month… but hey, if I can do a thesis, I can do anything, right?_

_Thank you ALL for the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad you liked my action packed double-post! Thanks especially to those who reviewed both chapters individually, very cool!_

_Ok, on with the show… thanks to BookWorm who helped with an issue in this chapter. Oh, final thing: I think I've worked all the kinks out, but if some of the expression or sentence structure seems weird, I've been reading/writing in French all day. So when it came to write this, I was a bit linguistically confused and my English suffered – I think it's ok though!_

**Chapter XXII – Cover story**

* * *

The remaining members of SG1 and assorted SGC personnel had all been waiting somewhat impatiently with their Australian counterparts for any news of Jack and Sam. General Marty had been in the communication tent, but was now taking purposeful strides back up the couple of hundred metres to the transportation site, satellite phone in his hand. Everyone turned to look at him expectantly as his strained breathing brought them out of their thoughts. 

"Mr Teal'c," he said somewhat warily, holding the phone out as far as his arm would let him. "Your General Hammond would like a word."

If Teal'c was surprised, or even amused, by the strange appellation, he didn't show it. He did, however, share a quick glance with Jonas. "General Hammond," he had managed to take the phone from General Marty's shaking hand and was now concentrating intently on the fuzzy connection provided by Earth's primitive technology.

"Teal'c, it's Jacob."

"Jacob Carter, I hope you are well." Teal'c bowed subconsciously, even though he was talking on the phone and Jacob certainly couldn't see the gest. He listened to the Tok'ra's concerned voice for a couple of seconds before interrupting. "Indeed we have successfully contained Turramulli and expect to see both Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter shortly."

At that very moment, Jack's voice boomed out of the Tok'ra communication device. "Helloooo? You guys all still there?"

Jonas scrambled to respond quickly. "Yes Colonel," he was looking at Teal'c, trying to catch the gist of what Sam's dad was saying through the jaffa's responses. "Teal'c?" he finally realised that Jack had asked him a question. "Uh, he's talking to Sam's dad… yeah, he's at the SGC… I dunno, hang on." Jonas let his hand fall slightly as he looked to Teal'c. "What's Jacob doing here?"

Before Teal'c could answer, there was the rushing noise of wind and a strange funnel of air seemed to come up from the ground, accompanied by a bright blue light. Where there had been nothing before, Sam and Jack now appeared, both looking somewhat the worse for wear, but happy to see the outside world again.

"Gimme that. This whole relaying of messages is ridiculous…" Jack snatched the phone out of Teal'c's hands. "Dad! Nice you could make it to the party! You missed the show though – Carter took on the big bad wolf and won…"

Sam stood next to Jack patiently as he joked around with her father, only realising after a good couple of minutes that they were still holding hands. Abruptly, she pulled hers away, instantly missing the reassuring feel of his fingers. She looked furtively around the group to see if anyone had noticed, and blushed as she saw Jonas looking at her quizzically. Jack had decided to leave the cave so abruptly they hadn't even had a chance to talk about… them. It was all so confusing, and now they were amongst their friends and colleagues again, having not really settled any of the tension that had been so apparent as the mission began.

Feeling the need to re-take control of her life – or the situation at least – she reached out, asking Jack silently for the phone. He caught her eye and winked at her before wrapping up his witty repartee with Jacob and offering it to her.

* * *

Jonas again found himself wondering about Jack and Sam as he watched them. It looked like they'd been through hell, but the relaxed stance they both adopted, and the way Sam had seemed so comfortable, her hand within Jack's clasp, suggested that in fact they were now in a better way than they had been before becoming trapped in the cavern. Seeing Jack look at him warningly, he snapped out of his musings and returned to business. 

"Colonel," he began, "this is General Marty, you've already spoken."

Jack rolled his eyes so imperceptibly that only Sam would have been able to detect it, before saluting to the General. "Good to finally meet you sir," he said automatically, already thinking of something else.

"That it is Colonel." General Marty replied gravely. "Good work down there. I understand it the situation is now under control?"

"Yeah, piece o' cake." Jack cast his eye off to the distance and saw the myriad of lights emanating off the desert floor. "Sheesh – couldn't really say the same for you, eh? What's going on down there?" Jack stood in awe of the apparent chaos that covered much of the desert. He suddenly gained new appreciation for the General's difficult position and understood the reasoning behind the caustic tone of voice he had adopted while speaking to them through the Tok'ra communicator.

General Marty turned around and sighed audibly. "_That_, Colonel," he began slowly, "is possibly an even bigger problem than your 'gould' thingies." He motioned to different areas of the disparate blanket of lights covering the desert. "Over there are most of the general public, tourists, people from the Alice, etc. Over there," he pointed to a new batch of lights, "that's the pack of bikers – no idea what they're doing here… but hey." He shrugged tiredly. "And last, but oh so _definitely_ not least," he pointed to the most intense placement of lights, "that's the media circus – so named for good reason. Since the little light show you put on while getting Turramulli back in his cave, they've all been talking to the conspiracy theorists – apparently the general consensus is that aliens have invaded the Earth."

Jack let a smile tug at his lips before he remembered why the situation was possibly not that good. "What have you told them?"

"For the moment we're still sticking to the 'tourist accident' story – but it's not looking to credible considering the entire _rock_ just glowed a couple of different colours before flashing a bright white light." General Marty smiled at the look of surprise on Jack's face at this news.

"You're telling me all this glowed different colours?" he looked around him in the dark, barely able to make out the difference between the rock and the air in the blackness of night.

"Not only that, but there was an almighty earthquake and some god-awful thunder-like roar – I'm guessing _that_ was our monster." He added.

"So what are you _going_ to tell them?" Jack asked, wondering how in the hell they were ever going to explain the mountainous national icon's disco tendencies.

"No idea." The Aussie stated soberly. "You can't have made things better with your bright blue arrival either…" he paused, before smiling at Jack. "At least I'm getting used to this sudden appearance and disappearance of people – if you'd done that to me a couple of hours ago I probably would've fallen off the side of the rock."

"Yeah," Jack nodded as he held his gaze, watching the blinking lights of the media activity. He was growing to like the General – who was after all just an old dog who had needed time to get used to the idea of little green – or grey – men. "You wait 'til they start beaming you places without even asking…" He added mischievously. "One minute you're happily standing there, having a conversation with someone, and then _baff_," he clicked his fingers, "you're on a freaky alien vessel trying to shoot an army of robotic spiders."

Jack looked back towards Sam as he thought of their experience on Thor's ship a couple of years earlier. He had been trying in vain to get her to go fishing with him, but being Carter, she'd preferred to stay at the SGC. He wondered if she'd make the same decision now. They hadn't had a chance to really think about the future… he was just as lost as he'd ever been on that front. He subconsciously rubbed his empty hand against the fabric of his jacket. He already missed the touch of her skin against his – it had been almost painful when she'd hastily drawn her hand away. Sighing inwardly, he made a resolution to follow her lead for the moment, and turned his attention back to his conversation with the austere Australian standing next to him.

General Marty tried to keep his balance as he felt the blood drain out of his face. The thought of actually _using_ any of the alien technology, let alone fighting _robotic spiders,_ was still really too much for him to bear.

Jack saw the older man's reaction to his comments and chuckled slightly before rescuing him from having to respond. "So, we need a cover story for the public then?" He was relieved to see the Aussie General recover enough to nod. "No idea."

* * *

"Actually Sir, uh, Sir_s_," Stacey had been listening in on the conversation and now moved closer to Jack and General Marty, waiting for the permission to speak. They both directed their attention to her and she continued. "I think I've come up with a way to at least get the media off the conspiracy theories…" She fiddled uncertainly before continuing, not entirely comfortable with the idea. 

"Captain?" Jack asked expectantly.

"Well," Stacey hesitated again, seeing that she had the full attention of most people present. "I know that it's a bit of an unlikely idea, but what if we attributed the heavy military presence to a severe terrorist threat?" She flinched slightly, expecting some kind of reaction. Most people just seemed not to understand, however, and waited for her to continue. "It's not that far-fetched," she continued, gaining momentum, "this is, after all, one of Australia's most recognised landmarks – and it carries a great deal of loaded cultural heritage as well, both of the colonial population and the aborigines."

"Um… and the lights?" Jack had a feeling that Stacey was not that unlike Sam, maybe even Daniel. He had a feeling she was going somewhere with her suggestion, but much like with Sam's ideas, he was hopeless to make the connection himself.

"Well, this is where it gets a bit iffy," Stacey admitted, "but from what I know about Major Carter, I think we'll be able to figure something out…" The continuing blank look on Jack – and everyone else's faces – spurred her to continue. Only Sgt Siler seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Out of the corner of her eye, Stacey saw him motion to Sam to come over. "I don't know a lot about science," she looked nervously at Sam, knowing the approaching woman was an expert on almost anything scientific, "but I _do_ seem to remember that when burned, different chemicals can give off different colours." She saw Sam nod quickly in confirmation. "So if there was, _theoretically_, an advanced terrorist bomb – or series of bombs – somewhere in or around Uluru, then we could postulate that their explosion would cause a light show similar to the one we've seen. Oh!" Something else occurred to her. "And the bolts of lightening could be something to do with a funky electro-magnetic field… and the earthquakes just explosions. So," she concluded, now looking around fearfully to see what everyone's reaction would be, "We _could_ say that we've been diffusing terrorist devices – it's hopefully at least plausible enough that most people will discount the conspiracy theories as lunacy."

Jack tried to digest everything that Stacey had just said. For all he knew, what she was describing could _actually _happen. As he usually did, he turned to Sam for help. "Is what she said plausible?" He tried to keep his voice normal, but noticed a slight softness to it, just because he was talking to her especially. Somewhere in his mind, he hoped no-one noticed.

"Scientifically? Not really…" Sam seemed to be pondering all the possibilities very carefully. "There's no way a bomb – or even a series of bombs – could cause Uluru to _glow_."

"_You_ might know that Carter, and a couple of scientists might no that," Jack rolled his eyes, "But me and every other mug out there would probably believe it!"

"You should give yourself more credit sir," Sam smiled at Jack, "but in general, I think you're probably right – we could get some of the team back at the SGC to come up with something a little more specific and concrete."

"Um Major?" Stacey's voice squeaked out timidly. "I know this was my idea, but I actually feel a bit uncomfortable about the ethics involved."

"_Ethics_?" Jack didn't protest rudely, but was still intrigued by the promising Australian's statement. "You really _are_ like Daniel," he added under his breath. He felt Sam brush her hand against the back of his arm as he said this and caught her eye – she had apparently been thinking the same thing.

"Yes sir, ethics." Stacey said more firmly, sure that she had to make this point. "I don't think it's morally right to invoke insecurity and terrorism for any political cause…" she glanced at General Marty nervously, wondering if she was going to get in trouble for essentially espousing a point of view that was contrary to the government's demonstrated practices. "And quite frankly," she continued nevertheless, "I feel uncomfortable crying wolf."

"I do not believe your proposed course of action involved wild canine creatures, Captain Hindmarsh." Teal'c spoke before Sam, Jack or Jonas had a chance to translate for him.

"I mean pretend," Stacey responded without batting an eyelid. "It's a figure of speech based on a popular fable."

This off the bat response caused Jack to look at her thoughtfully. First showing innovation not unlike Sam and Daniel, now speaking to Teal'c as if he just any other person – she hadn't even smiled at the amusing comment – it occurred to him that she would be a good addition to the SGC.

"I understand your point of view," Sam glanced at Jack as she spoke, pre-empting any comment he would be apt to make about priorities. "But I honestly don't think we have a choice – unless we want to go for full disclosure. From what Dad and General Hammond have been telling me, everything that's happening is being transmitted all over the world."

"Ah yes," Jack took the opportunity to change the subject, reorienting them back to the task at hand. They could leave the media circus to someone else from here on. "What did Jacob have to say?"

"He's got word from Tok'ra sources in both Anubis and Baal's ranks." Sam readopted her businesslike demeanour. "Apparently Baal is somewhat subordinate to Anubis-"

"Well _that_'s worrying…" Jack mused, interrupting her.

"Actually sir, they're not getting on too well at the moment." Sam rectified, her voice somewhat brighter with this news. "Apparently Baal went behind Anubis' back in his quest for the naquada – and now that Thor is 'escorting' Baal into Anubis' territory, there's probably going to be some kind of reprisal."

"So where does that leave us?" General Marty butted in, trying his best to ignore the worrying mention of strangely-named aliens.

"For the moment sir," Sam continued what she was going to say, "Earth is safe. But," she added reluctantly, turning back to Jack, as this concerned the SGC more than it did the Australians. "The Tok'ra spies are pretty sure that Anubis is currently planning something big – they just don't know what."

"Bah…" Jack waved his arm lazily in the air. "What's new?"

General Marty sensed the conversation had ventured into territory that didn't concern him – and quite frankly, he would be entirely happy not knowing about it. "Colonel, Major," he nodded to both Sam and Jack expectantly. "About the men down in the cavern…"

"Oh yeah!" Jonas suddenly became enthused, remembering all the inscriptions Jack had described on the cavern walls. "Can we go down and have a look? What about Fodor? D'you know how the-d"

"A-ah!" Jack held his hand up, bringing a halt to the flurry of questions. "Yes, yes, yes." He looked to Sam, suddenly realising something. "We didn't even tell Fodor we were leaving… we should get back down there I guess."

* * *

They all walked to wards the transportation site, Stacey and Sam talking animatedly as they led the way. 

"You should get in contact with Dr. Lee back at the SGC," Sam was saying, "And I know a couple of other people who could help manufacture something credible. Will you be dealing with this?"

"Oh no," Stacey began, "we've got guys in…" she trailed off from what she was saying, suddenly feeling a strange buzzing sensation from below her. They're reached the transportation site. It was actually the first time she had walked within the circle, as it had previously been cordoned off.

She was so stunned by the sensation that the walkie-talkie she had got out of her vest to talk to the communications tent slipped from her fingers and to the ground. Warily, spooked by the strange sensation now encompassing her entire body, she bent down to pick it up. When her hand was almost level from the ground, she felt a strange desire to push it into the earth, to press it as far into the coarse gravel that covered Uluru as was possible. The last thing she heard before the roaring wind filled her ears and the blinding iridescent blue invaded her vision, was the surprised exclamations of both Sam and Jack, who had jumped back with shock as the ground had, yet again, begun to shake.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Ok… so it's not really a cliff-hanger, cos I reckon you're all clued-in as to what's going on… but we still haven't found the naquada… just something to ponder._

_I can't believe I'm up to chapter 22… I just checked the word-count on this – it's insane! The thing is, I know what's going on, but to write it down comprehensively always requires more space than I think! This chap, for example, I thought would constitute only a half-chapter… and yet it's sitting at five and a half word pages – craziness_

_Please review! You all know how much I love it!_


	23. Spiralling ochre

_A/N: Ok, so this is a bit of a massive update – I just didn't want to split it into two chapters. We're really close to the end now, but indications are that there could be a sequel… or at least some characters that come back in future fics…_

_Thank you all so much for the great reviews. I'm so glad that people are seeing this fic through – it's gotten so ridiculously long (much longer than I ever thought it would be) that I'm all the more impressed you're taking the time to read it! I can't thank everyone cos you're getting abit too numerous - my already bulbous notes would get too big! I must, however, thank _Longstoryshort _- I'm glad you liked my ethics... and I agree it's a pity that the "lying rodent" has none!_

_Alrighty... and we're off again!_

**Chapter XXIII – Spiralling ochre **

* * *

Stacey was astounded to find herself in a dark, quiet, eerily-lit bluish cavern. She took her shaking hand away from the wall where it was pressed into the smooth rock and looked around. Quickly enough, she realised where she was. The two lifeless bodies lying a couple of metres away from her on the ground, the strange orb floating in the middle of the empty space, the myriad of inscriptions on almost every inch of the walls surrounding her… all these factors told her she'd unwittingly transported herself to the cavern where Jack and Sam had been trapped all that time. 

Her breathing was heavy, the adrenaline pumping through her system, even though she knew there shouldn't be any danger. Turramulli was contained, and apart from Fodor, there was no-one else. Besides, she was sure Jack would be down in a moment. Despite these rationalisations, she found herself shrinking back into the wall upon hearing the slight shuffling noise of someone approaching.

"I am pleased to inform you, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill," Fodor was speaking in the same calm voice as always as he approached the cavern, "that the naquada stores appear to be untouched-" he stopped short, realising that the woman who had frozen on the opposite side of the cavern was neither of the humans he had come to know.

For his part, Fodor also froze, remembering his encounter with the other inexperienced humans who had come through the hand-transport. "I implore you," his expression was now almost more fearful than Stacey's, "do not harm me. I am not an enemy." He waited, holding his breath, for some kind of sign from Stacey.

Stacey relaxed quickly once she saw Fodor, almost shrinking further into the wall with relief. She didn't know what she'd expected, but meeting a grey alien wasn't something that happened every day – and this was the _second_ she'd met on this particular day. She'd expected Fodor to look more like Thor though, and his slightly larger appearance had momentarily thrown her off-guard. Quickly enough, she saw that he was actually more scared of her than she was of him. Slowly pushing herself off the wall and standing upright, she moved hesitantly towards him, trying not to cause him any further alarm.

"It's ok." She said quietly. "Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are just talking to our superiors on top of the rock – you must be Fodor." She thrust her arm out to shake his hand, trying to stop it from shaking. In her mind, she knew there was no danger – but her instincts were still slightly cautious. "I'm Captain Stacey Hindmarsh – I just came down here by accident… I'm sure they'll be down in a second to check I'm ok…"

As she said those words, there was a low rumbling and the portion of the wall she had been touching was suddenly infused with an iridescent blue. The colour covered the section of wall before seemingly pushing outwards into a bubble. When that receded, Jack and Sam reappeared, the latter clasping the former's hand.

"Captain!" Jack exclaimed with scandalised delight. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with alien technology?" He was grinning at her, not at all angry. "I see you've met Fodor," he nodded in the alien's direction. "Everything in order buddy?"

"Indeed O'Neill that is so." Fodor nodded politely. "I see there are others who, like you, have the ability to function the alien technology."

"So it would seem," Jack raised his eyebrows at Stacey. "Been keeping secrets, Captain?"

"Oh no sir!" Stacey answered promptly, not sure if he was being serious or not. "I don't know what came over me… I just…"

"You just had to push your hand into the ground, it was like being attracted to it with magnets or something?" Jack completed her sentence, knowing exactly what she must have felt – as he had felt it too. Stacey nodded in silent agreement.

"Actually Captain, it's really good we made this discovery," Sam stepped in to try and reassure the young Australian officer. "This way, you can take over the transport of personnel etc while we collect the naquada."

"She's right," Jack nodded in Sam's direction, before adding, "In fact, Carter's _always_ right – but that's a discussion for another time." He grinned at Sam squeezing the hand that was still clasped in hers, before reaching for the Tok'ra device that he'd judiciously made sure was on his person before transporting back into the cavern.

"Sir? D'you read?" he spoke in his most respectful soldier voice.

"Yes Colonel," General Marty's voice came over the airwaves. "I take it you have located Captain Hindmarsh and all is well?" There was a glimmer of uncertainty in the General's voice.

"Oh yeah," Jack allowed a hint of amusement to lace his tone, "She was having a fine old chat with Fodor – not a care in the world."

"Uh, right." General Marty coughed. "So I imagine we can move forward with the task at hand now…"

"Yes sir." Jack motioned for Stacey to approach. "Due to Captain Hindmarsh's excellent conduct through this ordeal – and the fact that she can work this thing – we were thinking she could take care of the transportation while Carter and I scout around for the Naquada."

"Um.. Colonel?" Stacey moved towards him hesitantly, causing him to break off his communication with the surface for a moment. "I'm flattered you would consider me to do this, but I honestly have no idea how to work the transport device – I only got down here by accident!"

"It's ok Captain – all you have to do is _think_." Jack glanced at Sam as he said the next few words, grinning cheekily. "If even _I _can manage that – then you'll have no problem."

Sam rolled her eyes at Jack's attempt at a joke – she didn't know if it was just her, or whether they were actually getting lamer. "From what I've seen," she directed her attention to Stacey, who was still looking somewhat overwhelmed at being expected to operate technology that was thousands of years old, "the system forges a link with your conscious and subconscious mind, reacting most forcefully to empathic and emotional impulses." Stacey was nodding thoughtfully as Sam continued. "None of that will matter if you're just dealing with the transportation – all you have to do is concentrate on your desire to bring people _in_, or take yourself _out_."

"You might wanna keep away from the orb, though," Jack added nodding to the enticing floating object. "That's how we got into the whole mess – that's how Turramulli was let out in the first place."

Stacey looked at the orb in horror, and then moved her eyes to look at the two dead bodies on the ground, understanding what must have happened. Every time she looked at the smooth, clear sphere in the middle of the cavern, it was true she wanted to go and touch it, but until she was more prepared for the power involved, she resolved to do her best to stay away.

Jack saw her looking nervously from the bodies to the orb and back to him. He had no doubt of the Aussie's abilities, as what he'd seen of her so-far was no less than remarkable considering she'd only just learned of the stargate, aliens, and the like. He moved slightly closer to her, releasing Sam's hand from his grasp reluctantly, and looked Stacey straight in the eye.

"You are made for this job Captain." he said sincerely, "In fact, I think we'd be nuts to leave Australia without taking you back to the SGC – that is, if you want?"

Stacey nodded, feeling the anxiety drain out of her as excitement fuelled a renewed sense of purpose. If someone had told her a week ago that she would be working towards ensuring Earth's safety against a hostile alien race… well she didn't even know what she would have done, it was so ridiculous. And here she was, apparently one of the few capable of manipulating _alien_ technology. Her mind boggled.

"Ok sir?" Jack had returned his attention to the communication device. "We're ready for the first transport. Has Jonas figured everything out at that end?"

"Yes Colonel." General Marty didn't sound impatient at the fact that he had been kept waiting. Like Jack, he had come to understand the other man's point of view and was vastly more tolerant when it came to working together. "You will be joined by the rest of your team, Bruce and Dougie – I mean, Sergeant Mayne and Mr Goonagulla – and some of my men who will take care of Fletcher and McGregor…"

Jack listened patiently as General Marty outlined the tasks that needed to be completed. He knew that in actual fact, the General was probably repeating everything that Jonas and Siler had told him _should_ happen – but it didn't hurt to humour him anyway. After a couple of minutes, however, his patience had waned and he spoke into the communicator.

"Sir? We're all ready if you are. Just let us know when everyone's in position." Jack spoke without pausing, so as not to let the General re-launch into his listing of every single detail. "Will you be coming down to have a look?"

There was a slight pause as Jack waited for the General's response. "Uh, no Colonel," came the forced reply. "I have been conversing with your technician, Sergeant Siler, and we are about to enter a video conference with some people at your SGC to speak of the cover story – which will hopefully be presented to the media at dawn. We've only got a couple of hours."

Jack smiled at this response, knowing full well that the General would do anything he could to avoid actually being confronted with alien technology – there was no way he would considering being _beamed_ a couple of hundred metres underground.

"Ok Captain," he nodded to Stacey, "she's all yours." He waited for Stacey to move over to the hand-print embossed on the small section of wall that was free of any inscriptions.

* * *

Stacey took a deep breath as she moved towards the spot on the wall that Jack and Fodor indicated. She looked hesitantly at the audience watching him before touching the spot on the wall that seemed to be calling to her from somewhere within. 

"It's ok Captain," Jack said gently, "just keep your mind focussed on getting people down _here_. They should just appear."

Stacey nodded that she understood, closed her eyes, and firmly placed her palm on the wall, trying to push the uncertain thoughts out of her mind, focussing instead on the task at hand. As it had happened when she had suddenly been transported into the cavern. A great roaring sound of wind rushed through her ears, threatening to overpower all her other senses. At the same time, though her closed eyelids, she could perceive a great surge in the bluish light that infused every space of the cavern. As if by magic, the sensory cascade stopped sharp, only to be replaced by the sound of four people simultaneously gasping in awe at their surrounds.

"Jee…. Whiz…" Bruce couldn't believe his eyes. One minute he had been standing under the glare of lights in the still dark early hours of morning on top of Uluru, the next it was as if he'd landed in some Bond-villain's cave.

"Indeed, this is a wondrous structure," Teal'c stated clearly, surveying the scene for any kind of danger that might present itself. Finding none, he turned to Fodor. "Thor sends his regards, Fodor." Teal'c nodded slowly to the Asgard ancestor. "He is currently transporting an alien hostile outside of this galaxy, but expressed his desire to retrieve your from this cavern to allow you to return to your homeworld."

Fodor's eyes widened slightly upon hearing these words. He glanced behind him before replying. "As much as that would please me, I do not believe it wise to leave Turramulli unguarded in this bunker – especially as it appears that certain of this planet's people have the ability to access it."

"Fodor, no one is more worried about that than us." Sam moved towards the alien as she spoke, trying tor reassure him. "The transportation site will from now on be off limits to any non-authorised personnel – and I am sure that we would be happy to guard the cavern in the absence of the Asgard."

"And anyway, I'm sure Thor's got some kinda plan." Jack added his two cents' worth, keeping his eye on the new arrivals. "We can figure all that out when Thor gets back anyway."

Jonas and Doug hadn't yet spoken, both absolutely transfixed by their surroundings. Jonas was making a slow circumnavigation of the cavern, taking note of which language appeared where, and the general gist of what it was saying. Doug was following eagerly, pointing out sections that were in Aboriginal dialects, or had pictograms for which he understood the meaning.

"This is the story of the Quinkins – good and bad." Doug was saying, passing a particularly rich section of pictograms. "And here – this is the tale of the rainbow serpent… I can't believe it's all here. This is… _amazing_."

"Something tells me you guys aren't gonna wanna leave any time soon?" Jack asked ironically, glancing at Sam as he spoke to the mesmerised language experts.

"Well no, Colonel." Jonas forced his eyes away from the wealth of knowledge on the walls long enough to respond. "I recommend setting up a long-term study of all this information – although I know General Marty probably won't be too happy about it."

"Oh I don't know," Stacey said enigmatically. "Seeing as I'm the only person other than you, Colonel, who seems to be able to operate the site, that means it would probably be an Australian operation at the base of things."

"But what about Uluru?" Bruce snorted coarsely. "We can't keep it blocked off to the public for ever – the media's already going nuts!"

"So we pretend to be civilians…" Stacey answered without blinking. "Rope off the area around the transportation site as sacred – no-one allowed to enter into it… and perform the operations after hours."

"Sounds like you're coming up with a plan there Captain," Jack nodded approvingly. "But that's all for later. For now…" he looked around the room, calculating the course of action for all those present, delegating tasks. "For now, we need to find that naquada. Jonas and Stacey, I want you to stay in here." He saw Jonas about to protest, but cut him off. "You can start surveying all the information here Jonas, taking pictures and whatnot… and Stacey, we need you near the hand-print to be able to transport people in and out – keep the Tok'ra device on you." He threw the communicator over to her. "Teal'c, Bruce," he nodded to the soldiers, "I want you to explore the caves a bit, see how big this thing is, find out if there's any danger other than Turramulli we should be worried about." He finally turned back towards Sam and Fodor. "You guys are with me – and Dougie?" He turned to the aboriginal. "You should come along with us – I wanna be sure we understand everything written on the walls at this naquada store – Carter can take care of anything in Goa'uld and Fodor can help with the Ancient or Asgard, but we don't want any suprises."

"I do not believe that will be necessary, Colonel O'Neill." Fodor blinked serenely, rather taken aback by Jack's authoritative and military posture now that everything was largely back to normal for him.

"You're probably right," Sam glanced between Jack and Fodor, resting her gaze on the latter, "But we'd like to be sure, ok?"

Fodor merely nodded in assent, giving Jack the only cue he needed. In the absence of any other protest. He addressed Stacey one more time. "Siler should be on the other end of that Tok'ra doohickey," he pointed towards the communication device. "I told him to keep in contact every 15 minutes." He waited until Stacey nodded before turning around and striding off into the tunnel Fodor had indicated as the right one. "Let's move out," he added for effect, as everyone followed the orders laid out for them.

* * *

"Major Carter?" Doug didn't want to cause a scene, and approached her quietly, while Jack was striding out in front, barely waiting for Fodor as the poor alien tried to keep up. "I didn't want to say anything beforehand, but I feel a rising conflict of interest with the talk of a continued military presence at this site." He saw Sam's body language change slightly, twinging with empathy for his position, and continued. "This whole discovery is just mind-blowing – at the same time it provides incredible insight into our mythological heritage, but also, it compromises our beliefs." 

Sam looked at Doug carefully, impressed at the way he was taking all the events of the past couple of days. For anyone, the discovery of the true nature of the galaxy was a shock, but for this man, it was directly relevant to everything he knew and _believed_. "The dreamtime was creation for your people," she nodded, grasping what he was driving at. "Admitting that instead it consisted of an alien planet must be difficult." She saw him nod silently, and felt all the more sympathy for him. "I assure you, we will do our best to ensure that Uluru is left alone as soon as possible." She placed a hand on his arm to reinforce her message. "But you must understand, that as long as Turramulli is confined here, there will be the necessity for some kind of presence, whether it be human or Asgard."

Doug nodded, relieved that his concerns were at least understood by the American. "I am grateful that you are sympathetic to my beliefs." He smiled nervously at her. "I just hope our respective governments can act accordingly."

"I understand there is some friction between your people and the Australian authorities." Sam nodded. "We'll do our best – I promise you."

Jack had slowed down and was now walking just in front of Sam and Doug. He had heard the last section of this conversation and turned around to agree with what Sam had said. "Don't worry – Jonas'll make sure we treat this whole thing with respect," he waved his arms around, referring to Uluru and everything that was within it. "He's like Daniel that way." He added quietly, looking at Sam poignantly. She smiled back at him, quickening her pace slightly so they were now side-by-side.

They continued walking in silence. According to Fodor, the cache was located even further underground than the cavern, and the descend was a long one. Doug had moved ahead of Sam and Jack, and was now talking quietly to Fodor, his expression one of anxious fascination as he probed the alien for knowledge surrounding the myths and fables that had shaped his life. Jack watched them carefully, reassuring himself that they weren't paying attention to him, before quickly slipping his hand into Sam's.

"You ok, Carter?" he said softly, keeping his eyes ahead.

Sam flinched as she felt the touch of his coarse skin on hers, but made no move to pull away. Her heart skipped a beat as she did this, but she did her best to stay professional – they were no longer trapped in a separate world. "I'm fine sir," her voice became thick as she said the words, fighting the desire to tell him how unsure she was about everything, how scared she was that he only wanted her in secret, not for real – despite everything they'd shared. Most of all, however, she was petrified that they had crossed a line that would have significant consequences for both their careers. Their actions could compromise both their positions at the SGC – something they couldn't afford to do with the continuing goa'uld threat that presided over their every move.

"Yeah, _that_ was convincing." Jack whispered with a hint of humour in his voice, squeezing her hand. He looked at her as they walked, reaching his other hand to her cheek, turning her face towards his so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "I know we've left a lot unsaid," he whispered as they both stopped still for a moment, Fodor and Doug continuing ahead. "But I _promise_ that we'll talk when this is all over. I don't want to go back to the way we were before – you know that, right?"

Sam smiled in relief at these words, and had to almost mentally pinch herself to keep from kissing him furiously. Instead, she squeezed his hand back and started walking again, seeing with relief that neither Doug nor Fodor seemed to have noticed anything.

* * *

Fodor stopped abruptly at a seemingly innocuous section of the tunnel, causing both Sam and Jack to stumble in an effort not to run into him. 

"What, it's _here_?" Jack exclaimed incredulously. "Anyone else see _any_ difference in this particular section of wall from the other hundreds of feet we've passed in the last 15 minutes?"

Fodor paid no attention to these exclamations, and merely pointed to the relevant section. "Indeed this section of wall _is_ different from the others, O'Neill." He motioned for everyone to take a closer look. "Where the gradations on the side of the rest of the tunnel are random, here, they are not. Instead, they announce the existence of the naquada store."

Sam moved passed Jack, releasing her hand from his comfortable grasp, to study the area indicated by Fodor. To her surprise, she saw that he was right. You wouldn't see it at first, but the seemingly random patterns of blue that covered most of the tunnel network came to form both goa'uld, ancient, and a third language – interspersed with each other. She looked more closely at the goa'uld symbols that she recognised and saw the telling phrase: 'solid blood of the spirits.' She turned to Jack, her eyes wide. "He's right sir, it says it here – this is where the naquada should be."

Jack merely nodded, taking her word for it. After all, when was she ever wrong? He could, however, see a mildly important hitch. "Ok, but _where_ exactly? All I see is a space of wall with some mildly incomprehensible writing on it…"

"This is but the entrance to the cache, O'Neill." Fodor blinked at Jack, "it is only accessible to the Ancients – however I imagine with your demonstrated capabilities you, too, would succeed in accessing the space."

Jack moved forward, his hand outstretched, searching for the tell-tale pull of the Ancient technology to guide him. The sound of Carter's voice stopped him just as he thought he felt something.

"Sir, wait." Sam reached out to pull at his arm. "Fodor," she looked quickly to the alien. "Are you sure this is just the entrance to the naquada store, and not another transportation mechanism?"

Jack pulled his hand back even further as Sam said this. He didn't fancy being transported to some unknown location – _again_. Thankfully, he saw Fodor nod his head.

"I have witnessed the Ancients access the cave, Major Carter." He said. "A space in the wall opens to reveal another tunnel that leads to a cave."

"But you've never _actually_ been in there?" Jack asked, still suspicious, his hand wavering as the pull of a certain patch of wall seemed to become stronger.

"No, however I am certain you have nothing to fear," Fodor stated calmly. "You will not be transported anywhere."

"Ok…" Jack hesitated before succumbing to the sense within him telling him to touch the wall at a particular spot. He felt Sam touch his arm as he did so – no doubt to make sure they weren't separated should it actually be a transportation device.

Thankfully, there was no roaring sound of air rushing through their ears; there were no flashes of light heralding the now familiar sensation of Ancient-driven transport. Instead, there was a smooth sound, not unlike that made by the iris which covered the stargate. The sound was accompanied by the intriguing sight of seemingly solid rock shifting and moving in an outward spiral, clearing a modestly sized opening to another tunnel, much the same as all the others they had already walked down.

Everyone present let out a breath they hadn't realised they had been holding in. "Don't know what you were all worried about!" Jack joked as he stepped through the opening in the wall and moved down the tunnel, a spring to his step.

They approached the cave at the end of the tunnel with anticipation, realising that finally they were approaching their target. Sam quickened her pace subconsciously, almost breaking out into a run as they rounded the corner that led into the cave. When they got there, however…

"Nothin'!" Jack raised his hand into the air and looked around as if he would find the answers somewhere on the ceiling of the cave. "Absolutely _nothing_!" He whirled around to look at Fodor – what on Earth were these Ancients playing at?" He turned further to look at Sam. "Just once – _once_ – could something be simple?"

He shook his head dejectedly as Sam and Doug moved over to study the many inscriptions that covered the inner wall of the cave. It seemed just like the great cavern – minus the orb of course; but none of that mattered considering there was apparently no naquada. He was about to order that they return to the main cavern to break the news to the other when Doug spoke.

"Hang on, Colonel," he said excitedly. "I've got something here – this is a set of instructions. It tells us where this naquada stuff is!"

"_Well_?" Jack appealed, his eyes wide open and his eyebrows high on his forehead. "_Where_ is it then?"

Sam moved to where Doug was, but saw quickly enough that the language he was reading wasn't goa'uld. She saw the section he was looking at and moved in to take a closer look. "Is that where it says it?" she asked, encouraging him gently.

"Yes," Doug answered distractedly, as he was concentrating on deciphering the inscriptions. "But I don't really understand the reference, it says here that the naquada is among the birds at 'plenty of fish'…" he looked around to Jack apologetically. "That's really what it says, Colonel – I'm sorry."

Jack almost laughed at what Doug had said. "This is making even _less _sense than that crazy Buddhist crap that that Oma chick kept coming up with at Kheb!" He walked over to where Doug and Sam were now intently studying the incomprehensible section of wall.

As he moved across the cave, however, he passed the direct centre of the space. A strange feeling ran through him as he set foot there, causing him to pause.

Sam looked around just as the dirt on the floor of the cave started to swirl around Jack. Where before it had seemed to be normal, inactive, sediment at their feet, now it was glowing a deep ochre – the same colour as Uluru itself, threatening to engulf Jack in a localised dust storm. Without thinking, she launched herself across the small space between them and grabbed onto him, shouting at Doug to alert the others – but not to follow before knowing it was safe. No sooner had the words exited her mouth, they both disappeared from sight.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Gotta love a good cliff-hanger, don't we?_

_I sincerely doubt that anyone will manage to guess where they've gone – and I'd be truly astonished if someone non-Australian did. That being said, the key clue is there in what Doug said: 'plenty of fish'…_

_I'm going to try and update as soon as possible, but I'm working a 7 day week this week – as well as still going to classes… the thesis may be over, but after a brief celebration over the weekend, I'm back into the fray. I'm sure it won't be a whole week before I update, but we're at least looking at a couple of days!_

_In the meantime, please review! The more feedback I get, the more resolved I am to update quickly!_


	24. Pleasant summer breeze

_A/N: I'm in the middle of my many, many hours of shift work this week… usually I'd just come home and collapse on the couch, but I've been so wanting to write this (and the next) chapter that I've been spending the time working hard for you guys (well ok… mostly for me… but you guys all profit!)_

_I'd like to congratulate _Prim'ta_, who had the most AWESOME guess as to Sam and Jack's whereabouts. Consider my truly astounded! I enjoyed_BookWorm _and _Bekki_'ssuggestion that, in a fit of irony, I'd sent them to Jack's cabin in Minnesota… that hadn't even occurred to me – I laughed out loud when I read it anyway!_

_Ok here's the next bit, warning (promise?) for some mushiness (though not too much) at some point._

**Chapter XXIV – Pleasant summer breeze **

* * *

Once the whooshing sound of the cyclonic red dust abated, Sam and Jack found themselves once again surrounded by darkness, only broken by the ever-present glow of blue. The fact that they were still in a space marked by an iridescent blue made them think that they were still under Uluru somewhere. Slowly, they both relaxed in their posture to take in the new surroundings. At the same time, however, they realised that they couldn't possibly be in central Australia. A constant, soothing sound pricked both of their ears and they felt a slight breeze emanating from behind them. Turning slowly, they were astounded by the vision greeting them. The cave they were in had an entrance to the outside world. And out of the dark space they saw miles and miles of ocean, stretching to the horizon, where the pinkish hue of the atmosphere and the bright white tips on the clouds told them that dawn was approaching. 

"I _don't_ think we're in Kansas anymore." Jack murmured in wonder as he walked towards the cave entrance. The ocean was lapping easily against the rocks and a flock of seagulls were floating contentedly just past the small wave-break.

Sam couldn't believe what she was seeing. Forgetting about the naquada for a moment, she moved towards the light, light she hadn't seen for what seemed like an eternity, having been stuck in the cavern under Uluru for so long. When she reached the natural opening to the cave, however, she was stopped by an invisible barrier. It didn't cause her any pain, but appeared nonetheless to be impenetrable. Testing it with her hand, she looked to Jack, confused and disappointed.

"I guess it was too good to be true to think that we _wouldn't_ be trapped…" Jack had been moving forward to test the forcefield himself and let his voice trail away when, unlike Sam, he encountered no resistance whatsoever – his hand and arm passed straight through the invisible barrier to the outside.

Grabbing Sam's hand, he tried walking through the barrier, and thankfully found that she could follow, as long as they were connected in some physical way. As they stood in the pre-dawn light, both soldiers breathed in deeply, drinking in the fresh sea-air. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Jack crouched down to touch the water and found to his surprise that it was almost warmer than the air temperature. He trailed his fingers through the silky clean water, letting the sensation take over his senses, until a gasp brought him back to attention.

"Where's the cave?" Sam whispered, although she didn't know why she wasn't speaking any louder – the calm and serenity of wherever they were didn't seem to allow it. Looking back towards where they had come, all they could see was the jagged cliff face of what appeared to be either a headland or an island. It wasn't too tall, probably no more than 20 feet, but there seemed no easy way to climb.

"I _think_ it's still there." Jack was moving forward towards the seemingly unwavering harshness of the blackened rocks. He couldn't explain it, but there was a section straight in front of him that just didn't _feel_ real. Grasping Sam's hand again with his he moved forward, in direct contradiction to what his conscious mind was telling him, and moved straight through the rockface.

"Ok… so _this_ is weird." He looked at Sam incredulously. "Any insights Carter?" He waited patiently while Sam, disengaging herself from his grasp, moved slowly forward to explore inside the cave.

"Well, this has got to be the _actual_ naquada store." She reasoned, moving further into the cave. She had been looing all around her at the walls, which didn't seem to offer any clues, and only glowed with the same disparate and random bluishness that had so marked the tunnel system under Uluru.

When she looked down to the ground, however, she almost shrieked with fear as she realised that it didn't look like she was standing on anything. The blue light of the walls continued down _underneath_ them – and she could see, rising up from the floor that was barely visible, hundreds of feet down, the naquada they had so been hoping to find.

Jack lurched forward as he saw Sam teeter, as if she would fall. He caught her just as she succumbed to the vertigo of apparently standing on nothing and quickly moved them both back towards more solid ground. He didn't let go of her, his arms wrapped comfortably now around her torso, as they both peered over the 'edge' to the rich source of naquada down below.

"Yep… that's a hell of a lot of naquada." Jack deadpanned. He broke into a grin and looked down at Sam. "Woo hoo!" he said ironically, à la Homer. "Mission accomplished!"

Sam couldn't do anything but nod, her mind racing with the possibilities now that they had what seemed to be an enormous stockpile of arguably the most valuable element in the galaxy. One thought kept coming back to her though – well two actually: _where_ exactly were they, and _how _were they going to get the naquada _out_ of the cave?

* * *

Doug raced back through the tunnel network, his breathing in heaving gasps as he fought against the constant upwards incline of the seemingly never ending path to the main cavern. He burst through the opening just as Teal'c and Bruce were walking sedately through another entrance. Everyone, including Jonas and Stacey, froze as they saw the state Doug was in. 

"Colonel O'Neill…" he gasped, "Major Carter… gone… transport… naquada…" Those were the only words he managed to get out of his mouth before having to stop and catch his breath. He stood on the spot, bending over and resting his hands on his knees, trying to get rid of the nausea that had accompanied his uncharacteristic athleticism.

"Of what are you speaking, Douglas Goonagulla?" Teal'c's voice, although still apparently calm, was somehow more urgent in its timbre.

Before Doug could properly regain his strength, he was bombarded with similar questions from everyone else in the room: "How could-?" "Where have they-?" "What hap-?". He had to put his hand up to fend off the onslaught.

"Hold your horses…" he rasped, "One at a time… in a sec…" Deliberately slowing his breathing, he finally managed to stand up, the sharp pain under his ribcage now subsiding. He looked up to see four extremely tense people looking at him, and began again, calmer this time.

* * *

"We should figure out where the hell we are." Jack said distractedly, forcing his eyes away from the vast cave that extended below them. He released his pleasant hold of Sam, but laced his fingers with hers as they walked back through the invisible barrier to the outside of the cave. The sky was lighter, but the sun had not yet risen. 

"Maybe we don't need to," Sam raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Why don't we just try to transport _back_ to Uluru?"

Jack was astonished he hadn't come up with the simple idea himself. "Oh well, yeah, sure." He said hastily. "But d'you _honestly_ think that's going to work? It's not like anything else in the past couple of days has beenu simple…"

"Tell me about it…" Sam said under her breath, so that Jack wouldn't hear, as they both moved back through the seemingly solid cliff into the cave.

Together, they moved back to the point where they had suddenly appeared, and waited in anticipation for something to happen.

"Well… this is awkward…" Jack said drolly as they stood there, hand in hand.

"Sir, you need to concentrate." Sam tsked. "Try imaginingthat you're _already_ back at Uluru." Something inside her told her it wasn't going to work, however. Otherwise it would have done so by then. She watched anxiously as Jack closed his eyes in apparent concentration, but nothing happen. There was no rushing sound or spiralling of dust – the only disturbance in the air was from the pleasant breeze pushing through from outside.

"Plan B?" Jack said finally, cocking an eyebrow at her. "We all know that plan A _never_ works…" Sam nodded in assent and they moved out onto the rocks, the waves lapping at their feet.

Sam pulled her radio out of her vest, not at all confident that it be able to communicate with the others – if they were on the coast, and it seemed they were on the East coast – of Australia, then a radio probably wouldn't carry the couple of 1000 miles inland to Uluru.

"This is Major Carter of the US Air Force," she spoke mechanically, "Can anyone read?" Not at all to her surprise, only static greeted this attempt. Rather than give it up, however, Sam carefully placed the radio back in her vest pocket, this time insulating in against any water that could get in it. She would try again later.

"Come to think of it, it's usually somewhere around plan Z that we get results…" Jack mused. "Maybe if we go around a bit… try to see at least if it's an island?" He suggested. Sam nodded into agreement and, taking the lead, headed around the rocks to the north.

They clambered over the rocks carefully, trying not to fall into the water. The rocks were wet from the recently risen tide, the slick guano covering them made the expedition all the more dangerous. Surprisingly quickly, only five minutes into their tentative exploration, a welcome but simultaneously perplexing sight greeted them. Only a couple of hundred metres away, towards the north-west, the ocean found a shore-line on a beach that had to be at least a mile-long. From their distance, the sand seemed to form a uniform, untouched, smooth surface – apparently undiscovered by civilisation. There was a dense scrub that formed the backdrop for the beach, again, showing no sign of human ruination.

"So _this_ is what people mean when they say 'careful what you wish for'…" Jack murmured in awe. He smiled mischievously at Sam: "In pretty much any other situation I'd be thanking some cosmic power… _especially_ considering the present company…" he cocked an eyebrow at her. "You know what? I might thank them anyway…" He pretended to be praying to some unseen power in the sky when a delicate cough interrupted his ham-acting.

"When you're ready, _sir_," Sam emphasised his title, trying to focus his attention. "I think we should keep going – see if we can spot any signs of civilisation."

"What, you don't think we're on Earth?" Jack looked down from the sky abruptly, taken aback by the implication of Sam's words.

"Oh we're on Earth," Sam said quickly. "I sincerely doubt the Ancient transport would take us to another _planet_… but the world's a big place – even if we're still Down Under, there's a _lot _of Australia."

"Well, I guess we'd better keep moving then." Jack visibly shrank down a little as he realised they couldn't immediately head for the beach. "If we _don't _find any signs of civilisation, _then_ can we go to the beach?"

Sam just laughed as she looked back at him, moving forward in their careful exploration. As they rounded the side of what she was now sure was an island, Sam came to a halt again. The beach came to an end at the mouth of a river, the still water offering an eerie contrast to the gentle motion of the beach and the ocean, and the turbulent waters where the two bodies of water met. The mouth of the river was bordered on the one side by the beach, but what interested Sam was the headland that bordered the other bank. There was no vegetation on the headland, it looked like it had been cleared – mown even. _This_ was a sign of civilisation.

"Ah. Civilisation, I take it?" Jack sighed as came to a halt just behind Sam, standing at her shoulder.

"Yes sir." Sam said. "Wherever we are, we're _somewhere_."

* * *

General Hammond bustled out of his office and down the stairs towards the control room, hoping he could get there before Jacob left – again. Hurtling down the staircase, he launched himself across the busy area and grabbed the microphone. 

"WAIT!" He bellowed into it, just as Jacob was walking up the gateramp. Having caught everyone's attention, he precipitated down to the gateroom to explain his abrupt cancellation of the stargate activation.

As the large door slid open, Jacob was waiting on the other side, the fear evident on his face. "What's happened?" He asked, his heart in his throat.

"Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were again transported by some form of Ancient technology." General Hammond fought the unease that was all too frequently present in his chest when talking of his greatest soldiers. "We don't know where yet – but the writings near the site from where they disappeared mentioned something to do with fish – we've got Jonas and the local expert on Aboriginal languages working on it."

Jacob breathed in and out slowly, trying to remain calm, reminding himself of the countless times his daughter – his wonderful daughter – had been in peril and had pulled through with next to no ill-effects. Something about the mission she was on this time just caused him concern, however – and he didn't know what. At no point had he ever really believed her to be in danger, and this was no exception. From what was known of the Ancients, it was unlikely she and Jack would have been deliberately transported to a dangerous location. That being said, something lingered in the back of his mind – something he thought wasn't right. It was time to take some action.

"I think it's time I called in a favour and got a vessel in orbit to try and pinpoint their location." He said with determination. "I take it you've had no luck pinpointing their position using the locator beacons?"

General Hammond shook his head. "Either they haven't activated them, or they're not in the vicinity of Uluru. It will take time to scan further afield, depending on satellite positioning."

Jacob nodded knowingly. "All the more reason for me to go. I'll try to get back here within the day, Earthtime."

* * *

Doug moved swiftly back down through the tunnels towards the cave from where Jack and Sam had disappeared, Stacey, Jonas, Bruce and Teal'c following closely behind. Fodor was where he had left him, studying the wall, only 10 minutes beforehand. 

"Anything?" He asked breathlessly as they all burst into the cave.

"Alas I have found nothing that is familiar to me, nor even in my language." Fodor responded serenely.

"I would advise you to try harder." Teal'c took a menacing step towards the Asgard, who shrank against the wall, despite maintaining the same facial expression.

"I assure you, I had no knowledge that indicated there was another transportation device in this space, Teal'c." Fodor blinked. "I can only apologise that yet again your friends have been taken by surprise."

Stacey stood warily at the entrance of the cave, mindful of not stepping onto the spot from where Jack and Sam had disappeared. It would get them nowhere if she found herself wherever they were – they would be no closer to discovering the actual location of the naquada, since they wouldn't be able to communicate with Uluru, and everyone in the cave-network would be trapped.

Teal'c and Bruce stood stoically towards the centre of the room while Jonas and Doug converged on the section of writings on the cave wall. Stacey watched them, listening carefully to their thoughts. Something about what Doug had said seemed familiar, but she was having trouble joining the dots in her head.

"Here it is," Doug was saying to Jonas, indicating a certain patch on the wall. "Among the birds… that part is consistent with the rest of the text. Here, however," he pointed a couple of inches further down the wall, "at 'plenty of fish' – it seems like that should be telling us something specific."

Stacey physically jolted as the strands she had been trying so hard to make sense of finally wound together to form a solid rope. "Oy, Doug!" She said crisply, gaining the attention of all those in the room. "What _exactly_ does it say?"

Doug looked at her blankly. "What d'you mean? It says 'plenty of fish'…"

"No, I mean, what's the actual aboriginal word?" She was dying to move across the room and look for herself, but held back. "Is it _Booderee_? _Minnamurra_? What?"

"H-How did you know?" Doug looked at the young Australian officer curiously. It wasn't common that whitefellas knew _anything _about indigenous culture, let alone of the languages.

"Because they're both _places_!" Stacey thrust her arms up as if it were the most simple thing in the world. "One's a national park area in south-east New South Wales, and the other's a small coastal village about 200k's north from there! Which is it?"

Doug's face cleared in recognition. He couldn't believe he'd overlooked this – just because he didn't know of a particular place by this name, didn't mean it was non-existent. He looked back to the wall and read out what it said: "Minnamurra."

* * *

It had only taken Jack and Sam about 20 minutes to circumnavigate the small island. On the south face, it had been possible to see up on top, where it appeared most of the birdlife of the area nested – probably due to the lack of human interference (not that there seemed to be much of that on the mainland). 

Jack sat calmly watching the ocean in front of him as Sam tried her radio again, to no avail. The sun was about to breach the surface of the ocean, he could sense it, and he felt himself relax as he waited for its rays to reach his slightly wizened features. The extent to which it didn't concern him – the fact that they were again essentially trapped, essentially by the fact that they were lost – was strange. But then, they'd found the naquada, Turramulli was safely contained, and Stacey would be able to get everyone out of the cavern. Sure, at some point they'd have to take some action, but for th emoment he was content.

He didn't even notice Sam sit down next to him, and was pleasantly surprised by her gentle touch on his knee. Glancing at her before returning his gaze to the ever-lighter horizon, he spoke: "I guess we have to move?" He said quietly, not wanting to disrupt the serenity of their surroundings.

"Actually, I think we should wait a little while." Sam said, mimicking his smooth tone. "The rippling of the water at the river mouth indicated that the tide was going out – if we tried to swim over to the beach now we could be swept out to sea."

Jack's ears pricked up at what she said. "We're going to the beach?" he grinned at her. "Sweet."

Sam just smiled, but felt compelled to back up the decision by logical reasoning. "The main current of the river channel seems to be between the headland and this island." She stated, trying to keep her voice even. "Even if the tide were going in, there's no telling what kind of counter-currents are in there. Our best bet is to head for the beach – if the tide's going in, we should pretty much be able to _float _there."

Jack just smiled at these words, breathing in and out deeply. "I like it here." He sighed contentedly.

"Yeah." Sam agreed, not really finding anything else to say. Not sure of what she _should_ say. The setting seemed so romantic somehow, and yet she couldn't allow herself to forget about all the worries they had – the naquada, the others in Uluru, Fodor, Thor, Baal, Anubis. She shook her head. Maybe she needed to just sit, her mind empty.

"I kinda wish we could stay here." Jack added out of nowhere. "Don't get me wrong," he continued hastily, "I know we've got _much_ bigger fish to fry… speaking of fish…" he looked over the water, imagining the awesome fishing he could probably enjoy there.

"I know what you mean." Sam said quietly, causing Jack to snap out of his dreaming.

"You see _that's_ what I find so amazing." He exclaimed despite himself. He saw Sam look at him, puzzled, and continued. "You _see _what I _mean_…. _always_." He emphasised. "No-one else gets me like that." He looked at her in wonder. "No-one else." He repeated, glancing down at his hand, now placed over hers on his leg. "That's why something needs to change."

Sam felt her breath catch in her throat as Jack said those words, hesitant to infer anything from them. She kept her eyes fixed ahead, but realised that Jack was waiting for her to respond, for her to agree with him. It occurred to her how whatever it was between them was just as uncertain – and unsettling – for him as it was for her, no matter how much they both wanted it.

"I know this may be hard for you to believe, but I don't know what to do." She said quietly, noting the smile tugging at Jack's lips. She turned her hand upward and intertwined her fingers with his, looking away from the horizon to marvel at the sight of his tanned, coarse hands contrasting with her lighter skin. "I don't want to deny _this_ any more…" she raised her head to look into his eyes, seeing the relief and hope playing over his face at the same time. She was about to continue, but something about his expression stopped her.

"That's all I needed to know." He said gingerly, before reaching his free hand up to stroke her cheek. He disengaged his hand from hers and draped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her gently to settle against his body. He felt her reach up to hold onto his hand, stroking his thumb gently with hers as they sat contentedly and watched the sun break free from the distant ocean horizon.

TBC

* * *

_A/N: Man I'm so glad I got to write about Minnamurra – I'm going to have to make you all promise not to tell people about it though… it's the best kept secret in Australia (I was never good with secrets…). Knowing where they are doesn't mean they'll be able to easily get there - or to the naquada though... we'll just have to deal with all that next time!_  
_I don't know if I've done it justice describing the island/beach/river… if anyone wants to see what it looks like (there's not a great deal on the internet about it), just review/email me (hopefully you're all going to review anyway!) and I can send you a picture taken from an aeroplane that shows everything beautifully. _

_In my mind this all wraps up in one more chapter – but then I'm almost ALWAYS wrong when it comes to these kinds of estimates… you'll just have to wait to find out! Please review… I ventured into the world of Sam/Jack feeling and expressing again and would like your feedback!  
__Oh, and I know the whole 'sunrise' thing is a bit over the top… but it was intentional – I'm a big harry potter fan and my favourite passage is towards the end of the 'order of the phoenix' where harry is in dumbledore's office, and the night is once again becoming day. It's just such a beautiful piece of writing (I've only read it in French, but I'm sure it's the same in English)… I wanted to try and bring about the same sense of a new beginning (although not such a sad one). Did I manage it? Too over the top? Please tell me!_


	25. A moment in the sun

A_/N: I cannot apologise enough for this massive delay. It was TOTALLY unforseen and I hope you all haven't totally forgotten about me in the meantime! I ended up on doctor's orders not to do ANYTHING for 4 days after I collapsed at work and ended up in hospital with exhaustion… I know BookWorm keeps telling me not to work myself to hard… ,but there are so many things to do that I don't tend to listen when people say things like that to me!  
__It SO wasn't serious and the whole hospital bit was a joke, but the end result was that I was BANNED from computers for a while. Then, of course, my enforced 'rest' meant that when I was allowed back into the world, I was WAY behind on all my schoolwork. I've only got up to date now… but at least it means I can post!_

_The most regrettable thing, though, is that this is the last chapter (sniff). It's a long one – but it's still only one. I hope it lives up to any expectations that may exist (god I hope not – I think it's ok, but after nearly two weeks of not writing at all, it was a bit of a struggle).  
__Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed up til now, and I hope you'll all review this one last time to tell me what you thought of the story over all – I can't believe it was this long! But enough of this dilly-dallying… here 'tis!_

**Chapter XXV – A moment in the sun**

* * *

On top of Uluru, Stacey braced herself for the onslaught of questions as General Marty approached them at speed. Even though it was still dark outside, she could see his face pulsing red with the effort of continually half-descending and then re-ascending the enormous rock. 

"Captain Hindmarsh!" He barked. "Status report! How did they bloody well end up somewhere on the East coast?" He came to a halt just in front of her, his cheeks puffing in and out as he caught his breath.

"Well sir, for starters," Stacey was cautious as she spoke. "We're not entirely _positive_ that they're at the Minnamurra I know – but it's incredibly likely. I even think I know where they would be specifically; on Rangoon Island."

"What's that, some Aboriginal word meaning 'trapped US Air Force officers are here'?" General Marty surprised even himself with his sarcasm, but after dealing with the bozos in PR for the last hour or so, he had no strength left in him to be _understanding_.

"Uh… no." Stacey said, taken aback by her superior officer's demeanour. "It's the name of some ship that was wrecked there years ago – actually, I don't think that's even the real name of the island. _But_," she raised a finger, indicating she had a point. "There's no human interference on the island apart from some locals who swim out there occasionally and it's where all the birds in the area nest – hence the 'among the birds' bit from the markings on the cave that Doug translated."

"Well do we have anyone in the area who could check?" the General didn't understand why everyone was standing around with their hands in their pockets. Actually, no one was doing exactly that, but the lack of forward motion on this matter made it seem as if they were. "Could someone at least _fly over_ to see if they're there? Don't we have that weird-arsed alien guy in orbit or something?"

"Um General?" Siler had just got off the phone to the SGC and overhead this last line. "We're still waiting to hear from Thor, but he said he was coming back anyway so he should be here soon. Otherwise," he smiled reassuringly. "Major Carter's father is trying to borrow a Tok'ra ship to come and help locate them."

General Marty was sure he'd understood at least _some_ of the words said, but still had no idea why Sam's father would have anything to do with it, nor really what a Tok'ra ship would be – as far as he knew, a 'Tok'ra' was a high-tech walkie-talkie… "So what does that _mean_?" He asked in a manner that made Sgt Siler smile.

"Um, well for the moment it means that we're going to have to try and confirm their location, because at present there is no alien vessel in orbit able to do that for us." Siler explained patiently, now realizing why Colonel O'Neill and General Marty hadn't got on at first – there was a certain similarity to their style of command.

"Well don't they have normal radios?" General Marty appealed to Stacey again. "There's _got _to be a way to get to them that's not going to take endless manhours!"

"Unfortunately sir," Stacey was speaking more to the assembled audience that had gathered around them than to the General directly, "Minnamurra's in quite a remote location. It's going to take at least an hour to get anyone there. In a way it's a pity the store isn't at Booderee – that would've been _way_ simpler."

"How come?" Jonas asked, puzzled by the comment.

"Booderee national park is right next to the federal government's military base." Stacey explained quickly. "When Canberra was decided upon as the capital city of Australia, people thought it important to have a coastal aspect to the city, for military purposes. So there's a patch of federal land with a whole navy, air force and army infrastructure _right there_. Minnamurra, on the other hand," she sighed, thinking of the difficulty, "is only 100km south of Sydney, but the beach and island are completely inaccessible by any form of road transport – we'll have to get a boat or a plane there."

"How can a _beach_ be inaccessible?" General Marty almost squealed, ready to order men from Sydney to the small village at that instant.

"The best way to get there, sir," Stacey continued patiently, "is by driving to the mouth of the river and crossing it."

"So… why don't we do that?"

A different, unfamiliar, and strangely smug voice answered him from behind. "Because then you'd just cause _another_ media circus, right? Wouldn't want the public to know what's _actually _going on twice in one week…"

General Marty spun around on the spot to look at the woman who had spoken so disrespectfully. "Who the _HELL _let her in?" He roared to no-one in particular. "Has no-one heard of bloody _NATIONAL SECURITY_?No _wonder_ the bloody Yanks are breathing all over us – we can't even keep a fucking reporter out!" No-one seemed to be able to find an answer, although about 100 metres away he could see someone running up the path from the communications tent, looking slightly apprehensive. He refocused his attention on the woman in front of him and asked her the same question, albeit more quietly. "Ms. Sully," his voice was strained, "I don't know how you managed to get past the _ample_ security checks between the media and this spot…" he pointed to the ground with conviction. "…but I hope you will understand that I cannot allow you to be party to this conversation."

Sandra merely smiled enigmatically as she waited for her escort to catch up with her. The smile extended into a grin when he addressed the highly decorated General.

"General Marty, sir!" The man began, before handing over a crisp piece of paper. "Orders from the Prime Minister's office, sir!" Everyone in the group waited in silent anticipation while the General roughly opened the folded paper and read its contents.

"What does the little troll want _now_?" The General growled under his breath so that no one could hear. After what seemed like an eternity, he folded the paper back up and scrunched it into a tight ball, trying to make it disappear in his palm. "How can we be sure that you're the only one?" He asked Sandra quietly, his voice cold.

"Because I'm the only one he talked to." She said evenly, apparently unfazed by the cold stare boring into her. "The little grey one appeared right after he vanished – mid-sentence I might add… something to do with nak-wada? – and said that it wouldn't happen again. If you guys are so chummy, why don't you just ask him?"

"Of what are you speaking?" Teal'c spoke abruptly, causing Sandra to jump. She flinched a bit more upon seeing the gold mark embossed on his forehead. Not for the first time in the past hour, she was wondering whether she hadn't opened Pandora's Box by signing her life away to the national security clause.

General Marty wordlessly handed the piece of paper to Jonas, who was standing the closest to him and sighed, cradling his face in his hands, hoping to god this nightmare would soon be over.

Jonas read the paper quickly, and looked up, shocked. "You actually _saw _Baal?"

* * *

Jack still hadn't moved from the vantage point where they had sat, huddled together, watching the sun rise. He had barely moved a muscle, although his eyes were increasingly squinted together with the bright sunlight of early morning. The light zephyrs of wind that had played across his face had now fused together to form a constant though pleasant morning onshore breeze. He breathed in deeply, relishing the sensation of sea-air that he so infrequently was able to enjoy. He felt Sam stir next to him as she drew away and began to stand up slowly. 

"I guess we should make a move?" He said quietly, unwilling to break the spell.

"We should be alright to swim to the beach now, sir." Sam said distractedly, scanning the water to the north. "I think the sun's high enough in the sky…"

"The _sun_?" Jack twisted around in his position to look at her. "I thought we were waiting for the _tide_!"

"Uh… ye-es." Sam dropped her head briefly, feeling culpable that she'd been caught out. "There was actually another reason we had to wait, but I think it would be best if we talked about it at the beach and not here."

Jack looked at her, not understanding at all what she was getting at. Her guilty demeanour made him wonder if she was really so worried about the rules or not, but the way she kept glancing at the water chased those thoughts out of his mind. Now alarmed, he also glanced at the water, as if he would see the signs of danger that she was apparently seeing. When nothing came to mind, he looked back up to Sam, expectantly.

"Well sir, just keep in mind we know nothing about these waters, so it could have been a completely erroneous precaution." Sam began gesturing for calm with her hand.

"But…" Jack cocked his head and raised his eyebrow as he waited for the clincher.

"But it's never really a good idea to go swimming at dusk or dawn…" Sam took a deep breath before completing her sentence. "… because that's the time that sharks generally feed."

Jack snapped his eyes away from hers and this time surveyed the blue ocean in front of them with a more critical eye – although doing so didn't really help him at all, he still couldn't see any danger in the water.

"Are you _sure_?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the water.

"That sharks feed at dusk and dawn?" Sam asked, "Yes. That there would be any sharks in this particular area?" She continued, "No. I just figured that since there's blood on my clothes and we're wearing shiny things like dog-tags and watches, it might be an idea to play it safe. Also," she added, upon further contemplation. "I know for a fact that the beaches around Sydney have to be netted because of sharks, and since we're definitely on the east coast of somewhere – probably Australia – I'd say it's safe to assume that shark sightings aren't all that uncommon."

"So we waited here because of sharks and not because of the tide?" Jack looked at her, slightly miffed that she would bend the truth. "We have _guns_ you know, I think we'd win in a fight with some overgrown fish! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Sir, would you have accepted the possible danger of sharks as a reason to wait around?" Sam challenged, knowing full well that he would have discounted the danger. "Besides, in a shark attack you wouldn't exactly have time to reach for your P-90 – not that it would work too well under water anyway."

"You know me too well Carter." Jack grinned at her holding his hand out for her as he hoisted himself up from the rock he'd been sitting on. "But for the record, I'd bet on me against a shark any day."

Sam clasped Jack's hand and helped him steady as he stood up, vainly trying to conceal the snort of laughter that escaped from her lips. "I'll keep that in mind if there's ever a pool going around the SGC."

"Oh Carter, there's _already _a pool going around the SGC about me – it's just got _nothing _to do with sharks." Jack replied enigmatically, keeping his expression calm.

Puffing his cheeks out as if he hadn't uttered that last sentence, he looked around with feigned interest and settled his gaze on the beach, which suddenly seemed quite a distance away, before turning to Sam and saying pleasantly: "Feel like a swim?"

* * *

Teal'c snapped his attention from generally surveying the scene around him to fixing his gaze on the blond reporter who was now standing on the edge of their large circle. Jonas' words had had a similar effect on everyone, who were now waiting to hear if she really had, as the statement said, seen the infamous Goa'uld. 

"Uh-huh. I saw _Baal_ if that's what his name is." Sandra nodded, thinking back to the complete and utter shock she'd received when the weird-voiced man had just appeared in front of her in the Channel 10 tent, looking like a character from a Broadway musical. "It was right after the whole _alien _technicolour light show… oh sorry," she added sarcastically, "_Terrorist bomb diffusion_…" She rolled her eyes again when thinking of the cover story. "You know no-one honestly believes that don't you?" she asked no-one in particular.

"As long as no-one questions it too much the public will believe what you tell them, Ms. Sully, and that's all that matters." General Marty replied gravely, not at all appreciating this development.

"Bloody government and their stupid scaremongering…" Sandra mumbled. Thankfully General Marty didn't hear her, but she saw a female officer nod in understanding at those words, which gave her pause: maybe they weren't all as bad as she had thought in the military.

"What was it that Baal wanted with you, Sandra Sully?" Teal'c said gravely, inwardly satisfied at the startled jump his words elicited from the woman.

"Well I don't really know." Sandra admitted reluctantly. "He started talking about how he was a God and that he'd come to Earth to claim his rightful place as our ruler – a bit dramatic I thought." She added slyly, satisfied to see that at least a couple of the American Air Force officers seemed to appreciate this characterisation. "He then mentioned something about Turra… um… _mulli_?… and that nak-wada stuff. He was harping on about how I was his insurance in case he got screwed by the government." She concluded, shrugging her shoulders. "Can't say I blame him with all the secrecy going on up here."

"I'll have you know, Ms. Sully," General Marty's face again progressed through a couple of shades to reach a deep red hue. "The _reason_ we've had to keep all of this secret is because that _maniac_ who appeared before you was threatening to blow up the entire planet!"

"Why?" Sandra asked, ignoring the signs of danger in the General's voice.

"That is not of your concern, Sandra Sully." Teal'c said evenly, all the while stepping closer to her, making his presence felt. "Suffice to say that this false-god is responsible for the torture and death of many of my people – such a fate no-one could wish on your world, and nor should you."

"Oooo-kaaaaaay." Stacey said brightly, trying to bring everyone away from the random interruption of having a reporter in their midst. "I guess since you've got clearance," she nodded to Sandra, "we should just continue with the task at hand – sir?" She looked to the General for confirmation, and took a small nod from him as being such. "Right. So we think they've been transported to Minnamurra – and _I'm _pretty sure they would have appeared on the island just off the coast. Permission to get some planes in the air for a fly over sir?" She turned to the General, who seemed disoriented by their sudden return to the mission.

"Uh yes Captain." He fought to recover, still eyeing the TV reporter carefully. "Get in contact with the base. I want some kind of sea-vessel heading there too – whatever's the closest. I take it we couldn't exactly land a plane nearby?"

"No sir." Stacey confirmed. "I'll run down the ComTent and see what we can do. In any case," she added. "If we're going to retrieve the naquada we'll have to figure out a system of transport that avoids showing the public what we're doing – and an offshore vessel would be ideal."

Just as she turned to head off down the hill, she caught the General's eye, who seemed to be trying to indicate something. She saw his line of sight flit momentarily to Sandra Sully, and understood immediately. "Ms. Sully," she said brightly, "would you care to accompany me in organising this? We could use your help in ensuring that the media doesn't get a whiff of what's happening." What Stacey had said wasn't entirely untrue, but she had a feeling that the General wanted to discuss some details that shouldn't be heard by the reporter – no matter how much clearance little Johnny Howard had given her.

* * *

Jack would never admit it to anyone, but as they swam steadily towards the shore, he found himself looking around constantly for a sign of any sharks – a strange ripple in the water, a shadow, a _fin_. He noticed Sam looking around at him once or twice and forced himself to stop acting like a scared kid. 

They weren't swimming particularly fast, but their pace was constant. At first they had been able to wade out from the island, but they must have taken a longer trajectory than the natural sandbar as the water was now above their heads – but only just. It didn't really matter, as he could feel the current pushing at him from behind, propelling him closer to the sure with the pleasant feel of the now warm sunshine on the back of his neck.

He couldn't believe how clear the water was. The only other time he'd been swimming at a beach, the water had been all churned up and murky even from the waves. But here, well it was like a swimming pool. If the sand had been blue tiles, he wouldn't have known the difference. They were fast approaching the beach, and he saw that the trees that lined the sand were actually quite tall. They had seemed to be loose scrub from the distance of the island, but now he realised they towered into the sky, albeit in a haphazard manner.

"Weird trees." He said quietly, respecting the comfortable silence they had enjoyed for much of the swim.

"Hmm. Gum trees." Sam nodded as she swam. "It's a good sign – means we're still in Australia." She continued swimming, but effortlessly detached her pack from her back and turned around in the water to give it to Jack. "Mind holding onto this for a sec?" Before he could even really respond, she had disappeared from the surface of the water and dived underneath, opening her eyes to the clear vista in front of her. As far as she could see, lightly ripped white sand. As she looked up from near the sea bed, she could see Jack treading water, holding onto her pack, and the calming rhythm of the wind playing across the surface.

As she came back up for air she slicked her hair back and turned her face to the sun, as if the UV rays were imbuing her with energy. "Thanks." She managed to say as she caught her breath. "I love swimming." She added when she saw Jack's confused expression. "I just couldn't resist." She grinned as he still didn't move a muscle on his face. As they treaded water there, she could still feel the current slowly taking them into shore. She leaned forward and lightly kissed Jack on the lips as she took her pack back, which he had hardly been holding on to. "Shall we keep going?" Before waiting for an answer, she slipped the pack onto her arms again and started swimming lazily towards the shore. She turned around so she could see Jack, who seemed to have finally reconnected the synapses that linked his brain to his muscles, and was now moving.

As they swam the rest of the way in, she kept a couple of metres ahead of him, but swore she heard him whisper to himself: "It's _not _a dream… please tell me it's _not_ a dream…"

* * *

Lieutenant Max Alexander was fast approaching the target site in his fighter jet. He didn't know why this fly-over had such a massive priority – after all, it was only two US officers who had somehow managed to get themselves lost on a remote beach. _How_ they managed that, the base wouldn't say – all he knew was that the people who were tyring to find him were in the Northern Territory. Weird. He shrugged inwardly as his co-pilot issued instructions for a course correction and got on with the job. It wasn't often he got details or explanations about the missions he undertook anyway – usually it was just 'go here' and 'patrol this.' Not exactly the excitement he'd been promised when he signed up… but then at least it was better that flying Sydney-Melbourne for Qantas a gazillion times a day. 

"Coming up to Minnamurra Beach." He heard his co-pilot's voice in the earpiece. "We'll be in radio range for about 3 minutes. I'll start trying in a couple of seconds."

Max just kept his course steady as he listened to his co-pilot attempt contact. He wasn't exactly holding his breath – if these people were really that lost, there's no way they'd have working radios. Besides, it was an extravagance to send a fighter jet to check on them considering there was a town just a couple of hundred metres away from their alleged position. Surely the big-wigs would have been better off getting the local police to check it out?

He'd so convinced himself that their mission was doomed to failure, he nearly lost all concentration when he heard the coarse American accent boom into his ear. "Yes! This is Colonel Jack O'Neill of the US Air Force. I'm here with Major Samantha Carter – we're both safe and we sure as hell read you loud _and_ clear!"

Max overcame the initial shock to take over the communication link. "Colonel, this is Lieutenant Max Alexander. I have orders to patch you through to General Marty at Uluru, sir."

"Patch away, Lieutenant." Came the cheery reply. "And just for the record, airman, we're sure glad you found us!"

"Of course Colonel." Max smiled and shook his head slightly… every American he'd ever met had been slightly insane, and this Colonel O'Neill didn't sound any different. "Patching you through now – but you've only got about 2 minutes before we're out of range."

* * *

"He's patching us through." Jack was grinning in such a goofy way that Sam couldn't help but smile. She knew the instant he had made contact with General Marty as the goofy smile extended into an all out grin. 

"General sir!" Jack declared merrily. "Yes sir… yes sir… Yes we've found the naquada sir – but you'll need Captain Hindmarsh or myself to access it… yes… Oooooooohhhh… _that's _what the 'plenty of fish' was all about…" he held his finger up to stop Sam from interrupting. As much as the aboriginal link was interesting, they hardly had enough time to go into it. "A _boat _sir? Why don't you just… oh right, the media… ok. What about Thor?" Sam had just mouthed the words to him and he relayed the question. "Oh, ok. So still no contact…. A _Tok'ra_ vessel? Oh I wouldn't be holding your breath sir, they…" he stopped from completing the sentence as he saw the reproachful look on Sam's face. "Uh no don't worry sir, I'm sure they'll get here if they can." He briefly drew the radio away from his mouth to look at it before speaking into it again. "I think we're about to lose the link sir." He said quickly. "Yes sir, she heard you. Thank you sir. O'Neill out."

Jack placed the radio down on the sand next to him and both he and Sam looked to the sky as the sound of the fighter jet receded into the distance. They had arrived at the beach only a couple of seconds before the radio had started squawking at them. While speaking, Jack had continued removing everything from his pack and laying on the smooth white surface to dry. He was sure that everything would get sand all over it whether it actually had contact with the grains or not – that was the nature of the beach – so it didn't really matter that they were speeding the process.

Having totally unpacked, Jack unclipped his jacket and vest and shrugged them off his shoulders, laying them down behind him like a beach towel. He dispensed of his soaked shoes and socks and leant back on his elbows, surveying the truly blissful scene in front of him. Across at the island, he could see the flocks of seagulls congregating, leaving in small groups across the sky to settle on nearby calm stretches of water. There were a couple of pelicans flying low in the sky that landed, feet first, to swim just behind the waves of the beach. With all this serene nature, there wasn't one artificial sound, although from what General Marty had said, there was actually a town really close by. The direction of the wind sheltered them from any human intervention, however, and they were free to enjoy a moment in the sun – something he couldn't remember doing in a very long time.

"You comfortable sir?" He heard the slightly ironic tone of voice coming from Sam and glanced sideways at her, cocking his eyebrow in mock hurt.

"Are you _mocking_ me, Major?" he said playfully. "Can't a man enjoy the few hours he has left before half the Australian Air Force and Navy arrives?"

"You're forgetting Thor and my Dad." Sam pointed to the sky. "We have no idea when _they _could show up…"

"Yes, well…" Jack propped himself up on his side and looked at Sam suggestively, patting the ground next to him, smoothing the sand out in an attempt to make it look inviting. "Since when have they _ever _been on time? C'mon Sam…" he pouted slightly, making a valiant attempt to do 'puppy-dog-eyes'. "We've got three hours _max _before the rest of the world comes crashing down on us – let's enjoy them!"

"But what then?" Sam said quietly.

"I don't care." Jack replied instantly. "I want to be with you, and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that." With those words, he lost the thin strand of patience he had been clinging to and reached his hand out to Sam's, pulling her towards him as he settled back on the warm sand. He tasted the salt water on her lips as they kissed and smiled again – it was going to be a great morning.

FIN

* * *

_A/N: Factual thing first up: Minnamurra is NOT a netted beach, and just a couple of months ago a guy died from a shark attack there. Mind you, I've been swimming there for years without having ever seen one. That being said, everyone knows not to go into the water at dusk or dawn, if you've been bleeding, or if you're wearing anything sparkly or shiny. Also, if you see fish being herded into the waves, get out - because something bigger is herding them (although the only time I've ever seen this it was dolphins and not sharks). Just some friendly advice ;-)_

_Before you all shout at me – there MAY be an epilogue… if you ask VERY nicely… But the fic has to end here… otherwise it will just become the "thing that never ends." That isn't to say there won't be some kind of sequel… but it'd have to have it's own distinct story (that I haven't thought of yet…) so it won't be immediate. I kinda want to bring Stacey back to the SGC though, so it's brewing away in the back of my mind somewhere.  
And I know there are threads left untied... but that's just the way it is. Life goes on even after the end of one story, and there are many others. I wanted to portray certain conversations that were relevant to the "end" of this particular story, but couldn't ignore what I saw as being important surrounding things... hence the Sandra Sully bit, the impending arrival of alien ships.. the actual retrieval of the naquada. Some bits may be addressed in an epilogue... but certainly not all._

_So thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I've loved writing this… Now I've got to get back to my long-delayed fic "Past Legacy"… I started writing it in FEBRUARY but put it on hiatus because I wasn't too confident about how it was going (plus it had way fewer reviews that this, dammit!). But now I've got a couple of other fics under my belt, and some more confidence, I'm going back to it.  
Please have a look and let me know what you think if you haven't read it before now… I'm looking to inject it with some new life as I continue. Just remember it was the absolute first thing I ever wrote, so there are probably some cringe-worthy bits!_


	26. Epilogue New beginning

_A/N: Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews. After such a long hiatus from fanfic (it was only like 10 days, but believe me I missed the little email alerts with their wonderful messages!) it was just awesome._

_Ok, now I was always going to do an epilogue, but I changed this slightly to leave the door fully open for a sequel. It won't appear for a while though, because I've got to finish my other fic first – but I really need the time to figure out a plot anyway so that's probably a good thing from your point of view!_

_Oh and _J.J.: _moi c'est plutôt l'inverse – ma langue maternelle c'est l'anglais, mais je suis allée au collège et au lycée en France donc je suis plus à l'aise en français !  
I promise I didn't say anything rude there… that reminds me though, I've spent the day writing a particularly annoying French essay and then speaking French for most of the evening so there might be some sentences that are a bit weird._

_Here you go guys – this really is the end this time though!_

**Epilogue – New beginning**

* * *

General Hammond waited impatiently for Major Davis to move through the various security checks at the surface and inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex. He had been alerted the instant the Pentagon's liaison with the SGC had arrived, and was slightly apprehensive as to what he was going to decide. 

He'd made a decision not to call the members of SG1 – they were all on a well-deserved period of leave. Teal'c was hard to reach in any case, as he had gone off-world to visit his family. Jonas would surely be on base somewhere, as he imagined would be Major Carter, but he would bet fair money that the Colonel was currently sleeping in the sun on his deck, an unmoving fishing rod loosely clasped in his hand. They all deserved the rest after the stress of dealing with ancient enclosures buried underground and off-shore, not to mention Asgard ancestors and the dreaded Baal. The Australian operation was on-going, and both Jack and Sam especially would be needed in the near future – the Colonel for his 'capabilities' and Major Carter for her expertise with the applications of the newly acquired naquada stock – but for the moment SG13 and 15, and the Australian forces, led by Captain Hindmarsh, had the basics under control.

The General was snapped out of his musings by the tell-tale clipped pace progressing down the hall. He rose from his chair just as Major Davis rounded the corner, stopping briefly to knock on the General's door before entering and being seated opposite him on the chair in front of the desk.

"Major, it's good to see you." General Hammond saluted briefly before they both took their seats.

"You too General." Major Davis replied promptly, his mind on the discussion they were to have. Both men sat silently for a couple of moments, collecting their thoughts, before General Hammond finally spoke.

"I take it you have confirmation on the issues I put forward in the briefing?" he asked enigmatically, wanting to let the other take the lead.

"Yes sir." Major Davis nodded curtly. "On the face of it, everything looks to be in order – and the Australian government has been very cooperative. There is, however," he added with a wince, "one area that concerns some elements that I wish to clear up with you."

"And that is?" General Hammond had been waiting for this, and had made sure of the facts before Colonel O'Neill had departed on leave.

"You of course are aware that the nature promotion you're proposing would alter the status of two of your officers and effectively dissolve on of your off-world teams?" He asked carefully, trying to cover all bases.

"I never make recommendations without being advised of all the consequences of such action, Major." The General replied haughtily, impatient with the indirect line of questioning. "And you'd be wrong in thinking that this would spell the end of SG1."

"Well anyway," Major Davis continued unabated, "You would be aware as well that this recommendation could be construed as the remedy to an emerging problem."

General Hammond stiffened his back in the chair, his nostrils flaring with his annoyance at the implication. "If you are implying, _Major Davis_," he snarled ferociously, "that anything untoward has occurred between Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, then I would caution you not to make ill-founded accusations against two officers to whom you owe your life!"

"General, I do not wish to imply anything of the sort, and I hope for both their cases that this is not the situation." The Major paled slightly in the face of the now irate Texan. "However, your recommendation that Major Carter's promotion be expedited in all urgency, coupled with the discovery of various articles of clothing belonging to both on the beach at Minnamurra, have raised some important questions."

"MAJOR DAVIS!" General Hammond roared. "No matter how you phrase it, you _are_ implying an improper relation between these fine officers, something I hoped never to hear from someone such as yourself!" His breath rasped as he tried to keep from throwing the man out of his office. "I resent that I need to justify my or my officer's actions, and know that I will not do so again. So, for the _last time_: Major Carter should be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in all speed as she _deserves it _and furthermore is to take command of SG1 while Colonel O'Neill leads the current operation in Australia. As to your offensive allusion to any state of undress that my officers may have experienced, I will remind you that they had just _swum_ half a mile fully clothed to reach the beach before they were transported onto Thor's ship. I don't think you yourself would retain your jacket and vest in such a situation, so I will hear _nothing _further on the question!"

"I apologise General," Major Davis uttered after a few minutes, time enough to let the General calm down, and to let himself gather the force to find his voice again. "Personally, I trust your judgement on such matters, however you appreciate there are those who concern themselves more than is strictly necessary when it comes to the SGC."

"I am well aware of the existence of enemies to the SGC and its personnel, Major." General Hammond seethed through clenched teeth. "However your sentiment is appreciated." He added more calmly. "Would I be correct in thinking that the other matters were approved without pause?"

"Yes sir," the Major nodded with relief as they moved on. He fished a piece of paper from the file that had been clasped under his arm upon his arrival and ran his eyes down as he counted off the new changes. "Captain Hindmarsh, with the assent of the Australian Government, will be reassigned to the SGC under a programme of partial disclosure with the Royal Australian Air Force, joining SG1" He mentally ticked off the item from the list. "Until the ancient structure under Uluru is fully explored, and until all the naquada stored at Minnamurra is retrieved, Colonel O'Neill is reassigned in charge of Operations in Australia under the command of General Marty. SG13 and 15 will remain at Minnamurra, while SG1 will properly document the Uluru site with the help of SG11." He hesitated upon mentioning the General's top team, well aware of the implications, but continued nonetheless. He continued reading the various provisions which concerned more mundane features, before reaching the final two. "Upon the completion of the Australian mission, SG1, with Colonel O'Neill and Major – I mean _Colonel_ – Carter in joint command, will depart on mission with the alien Fodor as requested by the Asgard."

"I might remind you I didn't need authorisation for most of those items." General Hammond murmured without thinking. "And I would definitely send SG1 on mission with the Asgard whether you approved it or not."

"Understood General." Major Davis nodded quickly, casting his eye down the list again. "Everything else is pretty mundane. The only matter that caused concern was Major Carter's promotion, but this should be finalised tonight – you will be able to perform the ceremony upon her official return from leave."

General Hammond felt a jolt as he heard those words. No fanfare this time… but then her last promotion had been rather low key – for different reasons of course. He supposed it would be best to proceed quickly. The way she and Colonel O'Neill had been acting told him it was a task of some urgency. Shaking his head slightly so as not to reveal anything to the Major still sitting in front of him, he straightened his back before rising slowly to his feet.

"Thank you Major," he said, saluting promptly, thus ending their meeting. "You're dismissed."

* * *

Sam breathed in deeply as she awoke slowly to feel the warm glow of filtered sunlight on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up to feel the sun on her face. Usually she was either on base, or awake well before the sun rose. It was a nice change. A fairly crisp breeze brushed over her still sleepy form and she nuzzled further into the blankets, reaching her arm across the now cold bed. 

Abruptly, she opened her eyes to confirm that there was in fact a decidedly unwelcome absence from the bed. Discontentedly, she sat up, bunching the sheets around her to keep warm and ran a hand through her unruly bed hair. Yawning widely, she shuffled her well-rested body to the edge of the bed and fished a crumpled shirt off the ground and threw it over her head before moving lazily towards the window.

Blinking her eyes against the sunlight she wasn't surprised to see that Jack was ensconced on the deck, listless fishing rod lying next to him. What was surprising, however, was the fact that he was talking on his cell. He'd always claimed to be allergic to cell phones when they weren't for work – the fact that he had one and was talking on it was slightly concerning.

Sam stepped outside, kept warm by the duffle coat she'd found on the back of the front door to the cabin, and picked her way barefoot to stand next to where Jack was sitting on the deck. He saw her approach and smiled warmly, holding his free hand out to grasp hers, catching her off-guard and pulling her onto his lap.

"No sir, I'll call her." He mouthed to Sam that he was talking to General Hammond. "I don't think she's in her lab sir – I ordered her not to set foot in there while we were on down time… yes sir," he chuckled, "I guess it _would _be a first if she's listened to me on that one." He exchanged a few more pleasantries with the General before flipping the phone shut and throwing it into the lake. Wrapping his now liberated arm around Sam's waist, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. "Lucky me you chose to listen this time, eh?" He grinned at her like an idiot while brushing an errant strand of hair from her face.

"Well if I'm going to risk my career, I may as well be following at least _one_ order…" Sam said with mixed emotion. She didn't get a chance to become depressed at their confusing situation, however, because the look on Jack's face told her something was up. His eyes seemed actually to be sparkling, like he was a little kid with a fantastic secret. "Ok. I give up." She rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"Well…" Jack drew out the word, content in the knowledge that he'd piqued her curiosity. "As of the day after tomorrow, there won't be a problem any more." He said mysteriously, his expression still strangely playful.

"You're not-?"

"No, no." Jack anticipated Sam's question and cut her off quickly. "They can't get rid of me into retirement – for a second time. We all know they'd just hunt me down in a year or so with some crazy mission to bring me back anyway." He saw the thoughts racing through her mind as she tried to decipher the puzzle and almost burst out laughing. She was so humble she would never actually think of it herself.

"You're getting promoted." He beamed at her, his eyes searching hers for the moment of realisation.

"Wha? Why? _How_?" Sam retorted. She hadn't done anything extraordinary – well not by her standards anyway – to merit such a thing in the recent past.

"Well Carter, it's simple." Jack said smoothly, notching up the irony in his voice. "I make a recommendation to Hammond, he talks to the brass, they agree with us, and hey presto: meet Lt Col. Carter." He bowed his head slightly in her direction, as if paying homage.

"But what about you? Surely if I'm going to-"

"Ah Sam," Jack tsked. "It's no secret that you're the brains behind our outfit… all I do is follow you around and shoot at hostile aliens while you do things like blow up _suns_!"

Before she could protest again, he covered her mouth with his in a long, lingering kiss. He milked it for all it was worth, and was satisfied to feel her relax into his embrace while eliciting a soft, contented moan. "Besides," he whispered breathlessly after some time – having only separated his mouth from hers by a couple of millimetres. "I'm willing to stay a Colonel forever if it means we get to do this…"

* * *

_A/N: Let me say first, I know sweet NOTHING about the military, Australian, French, American, Martian... So if any of that seemed wrong, let's just ignore it, k? _

_Also, as you may have guessed, any future sequel that may appear will be firmly in the "what if" category of fanfics. I don't usually like to stuff up the timeline by finishing a fic like this – I prefer to leave the future to the reader's imagination. But since I do that because I'm pretty much afraid of writing a proper ending, I thought I'd face the fear. Whaddaya think of the effort? _


End file.
